25 Years of Equal Opportunities, Diversity & Inclusion
In 2023 Diversity & Inclusion celebrated its 25th anniversary. We look back at our eventful history, present our current offerings, and show why we are optimistic about the future.
The Diversity & Inclusion Office - formerly the Equal Opportunities Department - is celebrating its 25th anniversary. For a quarter of a century, we have accompanied the University of Basel on its way to becoming a family-friendly, equality-oriented, discrimination- and barrier-free institution.
5x5 Aspects of an Inclusive University
We are using the 25th anniversary as an opportunity to take a closer look at the institutional past and our current offerings through 5x5 aspects of an inclusive university:
- 5 Figures of an inclusive University
- 5 Pioneers of gender equality
- 5 Statements on the Diversity & Inclusion Office
- 5 Aspects of a family-friendly University
- 5 Reasons to be optimistic
5 Figures of an inclusive University
Discrimination, mobbing and sexual harassment are not tolerated at the University of Basel.
The University of Basel is committed to a culture of dialogue and to the values of integrity, respect, openness, equality and inclusion. All of us - professors, students, lecturers, scientific, administrative and technical staff - are jointly responsible for living these values in everyday life. The Code of Conduct clarifies the guidelines for respectful and professional interaction with each other.
A family-friendly university supports its employees so that goals can be achieved both professionally and privately.
As an employer, the University of Basel focuses strongly on the topic of family friendliness, because it supports employees in pursuing their goals both professionally and privately, while enabling them to perform at their best. In 2022 alone, we were able to grant our employees 1606 days of parental leave.
The majority of students are female and the majority of teachers are male.
Women continue to be severely underrepresented in leading positions in numerous academic departments. For this reason, the University of Basel is taking tangible measures to increase the proportion of women at all academic levels, especially in the area of professorships.
More Info: Employing more Women
At the University of Basel, diverse career paths are welcome in study, teaching, research, administration and management.
Relief options are offered as part of inclusive and life-stage-based people management, as well as various career programs in the areas of mentoring, training and coaching: get on track, stay on track, antelope, ZOOM@Novartis, BAMNET, H.I.T., Verhandlungscoaching, FEMtrepreneurs, CARTE BLANCHE.
The Students Without Barriers (StoB) service point supports approximately 200 students annually.
With the creation of the StoB service point, many differentiated and interconnected processes have been created over the past ten years to enable the participation of students with disabilities in teaching.
5 Pioneers of gender equality
5 Statements on the Diversity & Inclusion Office
The Diversity & Inclusion Office has sharpened my view of the importance of diversity in research and teaching and shown me ways to promote it.
Prof. Dr. iur. Daniela Thurnherr Keller LL.M., Chair of the Regenz
Diversity in the broadest sense is key to the success of any educational institution. New ideas and innovations emerge from the breadth of experiences and life stories.
Prof. em. Edwin C. Constable, former Vice President Research
Together with IDEAS representatives, the Diversity & Inclusion Office implements equal opportunities and diversity in a number of projects.
Dr. Christiane Löwe, Head Office for Gender Equality and Diversity, University of Zürich
Working on equal opportunity goals requires courage, stamina, lateral thinking and a lot of joy from every success, no matter how small. Equal opportunity needs all of us! Working together at eye level leads to tangible enrichment.
Christa Sonderegger, Former Head of Equal Opportunities
I am committed to a family-friendly university - as Head of Department and as President of the Day Nursery Commission. For our institution to be perceived as family-friendly, the framework conditions have to be right and we all have to make our contribution in daily interactions with students, staff and colleagues.
Prof. Dr. Philipp Treutlein, Head of Department Physics
