In conversation with Beate Schultz-Zehden
As vice-rector at the bbw University of Applied Sciences, she is responsible for making teaching future-proof
“This is exactly where we belong,” is what the management of bbw Hochschule - University of Applied Sciences exclaimed when it moved the Adlershof Technology Park in April 2023. Since then, the roughly 1,200 students have been learning under ideal conditions in a new and modern campus on Wagner-Régeny-Strasse, directly next to the Adlershof S-Bahn station. We spoke to the vice-rector for student affairs Beate Schultz-Zehden about the potential the university sees for its future, the basic and advanced training of skilled workers, and the cooperation between resident companies.
Adlershof Journal: Why do we need a private university like bbw?
Beate Schultz-Zehden: As a private university, we are more closely linked to the private sector in Berlin and Brandenburg than any other university. Our professors and lecturers come from the business community and integrate their practical experience and their networks into their teaching. We train academic professional and managerial staff in courses that are relevant to the business community, and we do so in small groups, with ample personal support, as well as modern and diverse study methods. We have had a low dropout and high success rate for years.
What disciplines does bbw focus on?
We offer accredited, industry-oriented undergraduate and postgraduate study courses (BA and MA) in close cooperation with private companies in the fields of economics, industrial engineering, and engineering. They can be extra-occupational, dual course, or full-time. Seeing as we have many international students, most of our degree programmes are offered in English.
How do the university’s offerings contribute to securing skilled labour?
We support the regional business community in meeting their demand for competent high-skilled workers and executives. The university’s offerings are an ideal link between education and occupation: practice-focused, science-based, and future-oriented. Our full-time courses include two mandatory internships that can be completed in this country or abroad. By cooperating with private companies, we quickly detect new demands and strive to respond to them in the form of new course offerings.
What are the focus areas of your work as vice dean for teaching?
I take care of the execution of all teaching courses and examination procedures. Other focus areas are committee work and quality management. Moreover, I like to see myself as a contact person for all the questions the students or lecturers might have. This includes issues centred around diversity at our university. I am an advocate for women's health research; the promotion of women is particularly close to my heart. That is why, additionally, I have taken on the position of women's and equal opportunities officer. My vision for the future is that universities are a feel-good place with a healthy company culture. What I mean by that is that health promotion, too, should play a greater role. The topics of mental health and resilience are becoming increasingly important as ‘future skills’, which is why I am organising special training for students and offering certificate courses for executives on resilient leadership.
Are you already cooperating with partners on the site?
We were able to introduce ourselves to Technologiekreis Adlershof (TKA) in June 2023 and have been ‘well-wired’ since then. We are also in contact with the research and industry on the site like the Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing (BAM), Steinbeis Foundation, ASCA GmbH – Angewandte Synthesechemie Adlershof, or Ahlberg Metalltechnik GmbH to jointly organise bachelor’s and master’s theses, internships, student jobs, guided tours of manufacturing facilities and company headquarters, and even developing new apprenticeship programme and study courses.
What do you do when you have time to spare?
I exercise a lot and go to the gym, but I also love cultural events like going to exhibitions, the opera, or concerts. Between April and October, I love to go sailing on the Havel when the wind is good.
Peggy Mory for Adlershof Journal