Ute Symanski Meets Ulrike Kuch: The Vice President for Social Transformation Was a Guest on the »Science Managers For Future« Podcast
Dr. Ulrike Kuch, Vice President for Social Transformation at the Bauhaus-Universität Weimar., was a guest on the latest episode of the »ScienceManagersForFuture« podcast. In the interview, Dr. Kuch gave a comprehensive overview of her role as Vice President, a position that was first created at the Bauhaus-Universität Weimar in June last year.
Her responsibilities as Vice President for Social Transformation are diverse and span across numerous areas – both within and outside of the university. This position, which is currently unique in Germany, has Dr. Kuch dealing intensively with topics like sustainability, the climate crisis, artificial intelligence, the consequences of reunification, and the ways in which social change processes reflect and can be shaped by transfer activities and successful science communication. This includes, among other things, how we at the university can address the growing disenchantment with democracy and scepticism towards scientific knowledge. Dr. Kuch’s work is driven by her interest in a dialogue with society and the questions of why and for whom research is carried out.
She also speaks about her journey to this inspiring position and her initial scepticism, which evolved into enthusiasm. Dr. Kuch’s work is driven by her interest in a dialogue with society and the questions of why and for whom research is carried out.
Over the 60-minute conversation, Dr. Kuch talks about her approaches and reflects on her fields of work, which include:
Social Transformation: Dr. Kuch speaks about what is behind the denomination, how the university can engage with society, and which formats of scientific communication can be used.
Sustainability at the University: A central focus of the Bauhaus-Universität Weimar is to be sustainable in the future.
Overarching Concept of Transfer: Dr. Kuch explains how the University Directorate defines the concept of transfer, who is involved in this exchange, and the objectives associated with it.
The podcast can be listened to here: www.hochschulcoaching.de/sciencemanagersforfuture