"Art & Culture" are a kind of "third language" for a university that focuses on business administration and social and health care. Design, architecture or performative arts such as dance, music and literature do not have their own place at our university - for example in a department or in degree programs. Nevertheless, or precisely because of this, the Ludwigshafen University of Applied Sciences sees these as important cross-sectional approaches for interdisciplinary collaboration on societal challenges. This "third language" also sees itself as a complement and corrective for metatrends of higher education and society such as digitalization, internationalization, climate, mobility and democracy.

The university is approaching this realization and the associated aspiration in various projects and events starting in 2019. Here we present these projects and events.

The experiences of the university's teachers, students and organizers over the next few years and the encounters with "business and society", i.e. companies, organizations and civil society with this "third language" will result in a conception of the new area "Art & Culture", entirely in the spirit of "Socioculture".