Diversity Management & Student Diversity
Diversity management
Diversity" or "diversity" means variety and simply describes both similarities and differences between people. A distinction is made between visible (e.g. gender, nationality, age, etc.) and non-visible (personality, values, religion, sexual orientation, knowledge and skills related to education, languages, socio-economic status, etc.) diversity characteristics. A holistic understanding of diversity implies an intersectional approach. This means that the interrelationships of dimensions in relation to social inequalities are taken into account and not analyzed in isolation from each other (intersections).
The "diversity management" approach originates from the corporate landscape and is an organizational concept that originally emerged from the empowerment movements in the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s in the United States and emerged in the literature and research in Germany in the mid-1990s. It is a management concept in which diversity is not seen as a potential source of conflict, but as a resource. The greatest possible human diversity is to be promoted in order to have access to their diverse experiences, abilities and potential.
Especially in the field of education, the diversity concept is closely related to the idea of inclusion. In Germany in the field of education, inclusion is understood as enabling social participation in a group precisely through the perception and appreciation of diversities and differences. Accordingly, the concept of diversity also implies the idea of inclusion, namely the recognition of social diversity and individuality. The debates about the implementation of inclusion, especially in the field of education, have led to a situation in which the term is mostly used to refer exclusively to disability. However, inclusion is fundamentally a human right that should apply to all. The goal of inclusion is to create structural conditions that can compensate for disadvantageous starting points and enable participation.
In the mission statement of the Ludwigshafen University of Applied Sciences, the idea of diversity is anchored as a guiding principle and the university has set out to implement diversity management as a strategic field of action in everyday university life in order to offer equal opportunities to all university members and to be able to exploit all educational resources or potential.
Diversity of students
The 2014/2015 survey of new students at the Ludwigshafen University of Applied Sciences shows that student groups do not only differ along traditional diversity characteristics. In addition to visible diversity characteristics, such as age, gender, social or ethnic origin, and physical limitations, non-visible characteristics, such as educational goals, motivation, as well as experience, skills, knowledge, and lifestyles, also play a crucial role in the integration of individuals into the social fabric of the university. This highlights the complexity of diversity that faculty face on a daily basis. To avoid premature categorization ("pigeonholing" / "stereotype trap") and to make the best use of educational resources, diversity-appropriate teaching and counseling is necessary. The following content and downloads are intended to provide faculty and university members with the opportunity to explore general facts about prejudices about student groups and, in particular, the diversity of students at their own university in order to better illuminate the background of diversity and its complexity.
Enjoy browsing through the profiles on different student groups!
- Professionals
- Professionally qualified
- Student pioneers
- Students with family responsibilities
- Accessibility: Students with disabilities/chronic diseases
- Female students
Diversity Management
