“Universities for Openness, Tolerance and Against Xenophobia”
Technische Universität Chemnitz supports national initiative of the German Rectors’ Conference
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Translated text: “Universities for Openness, Tolerance and Against Xenophobia” Logo: HRK
The universities affiliated with the German Rectors’ Conference (German: Hochschulrektorenkonferenz, HRK) are set to oppose hostility toward foreigners in a nationwide campaign. The HRK members, among them the Technische Universität Chemnitz, pledged themselves to this stance with the slogan, “Universities for openness, tolerance and against xenophobia”.
“The diversity of people who study and research with one another at the TU Chemnitz holds enormous potential for our university and for further progress in worldwide competition for the best minds,” says Prof. Dr. Andreas Schubert, Vice-Rector for Knowledge and Technology Transfer at the TU and continues: “We advocate actively for these values and therefore support the HRK’s campaign, in order to show a unified stance against xenophobia and racism.” An open, international campus and the international mobility of students, instructors and researchers is an important basis for high quality education, research and knowledge transfer across national borders.
Anyone walking through the campus of the TU Chemnitz will notice right away how many nationalities are brought together here and how they communicate with one another. At the moment, 23 percent of the students at the TU are international. They are from 90 countries, whereby the main countries of origin are currently India and China. The enrollment rate for new students rose from 202 in the 2009/2010 winter semester to around 840 in the 2015/2016 winter semester. There is a rising trend in the number of international doctoral students and employees at the TU. “This underscores how successful we have been in the last few years in implementing the standard of internationalization in our University Development Plan,” explains Prof. Schubert and goes on to say: “The growing international student exchange, transnational research cooperations and increasing mobility will surely continue to advance this positive development in the years to come.” And for precisely this reason, it important to stand together to show support of universities for openness, tolerance and against xenophobia.
More information about the HRK’s initiative: http://www.hrk.de/home/universities-against-xenophobia/
(Translation: Sarah Wilson)
Mario Steinebach
12.11.2015
