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A self-commitment to living diversity and to promoting an environment free of discrimination: The Senate of the University of Konstanz adopted the Code of Practice on Diversity in its meeting on 13 February 2019. The creation of this Code of Practice was inspired by the diversity audit “Vielfalt gestalten” (creating diversity), which ran from 2016 to 2018. This Code of Practice confirms diversity as one of the university’s core values and promotes open access to education for all. “We directly build on the University of Konstanz’s founding principles” says Professor Silvia Mergenthal, Vice Rector for International Affairs and Equal Opportunities. “Equal opportunity is still not a lived reality and we, as a university, must do our share to support all individuals in utilizing their skills and talents to the full, irrespective of their social background or personal characteristics. To do so, we need to first identify and then eliminate barriers.”

Together with the university’s mission statement, the Code of Practice for Postdoctoral Researchers and the Code of Practice on Gender Equality, the Code of Practice on Diversity will help to create an academic culture and working environment in which all members of the University of Konstanz are valued and barriers are eliminated. “We wanted to integrate the Code of Practice directly into everyday life at the university. We did not use diversity criteria, but our own action fields as starting points. This way we can make sure that the commitment and content of the Code of Practice on Diversity are integrated into the development of our organization and staff”, explains Marion Woelki, director of the Office for Equal Opportunity, Family Affairs and Diversity. The Code of Practice was created in coordination with the steering group of the audit, the departments, the deans and different status groups and, as a result, has been firmly anchored in the university’s campus culture.

The University of Konstanz strives to foster a positive environment for diversity. This means, all university members can experience the university as a place that is open to diversity, that values diversity and where students and employees can work to achieve their full potential. It is, for example, extremely important to strengthen the competencies of all members and to assess and evaluate them without prejudice. Consequently, staff with leadership responsibilities critically reflect on how they assess the achievements and potential of their students and colleagues, avoid stereotyping and make sure that communication is free from discrimination.

With its Code of Practice, the University of Konstanz reaffirms its social responsibility and commitment to promoting diversity and providing a learning and working environment free from discrimination. Numerous measures have been implemented over the past eight years, including measures to ensure topics such as queerness, disability and racism are not considered as taboos and people are aware of these topics, as well as to support the integration of refugees. The Code of Practice provides a firm foundation for responding to current and future diversity issues.