Since the start of the visiting professors programme, FHWS has been well attended by more than just students from abroad. In teaching and research, too, FHWS welcomes professors from all over the world to its staff – and benefits from their international experience.
Every year, when the new semester begins, numerous students from abroad travel to Germany to spend a semester abroad through the Erasmus programme. Such academic stays abroad are popular among more than just students: since 2015, FHWS has welcomed visiting professors to the campus every semester. But what do they actually do during their visiting professorship? It’s certainly not paid vacation.
A visiting professorship is a process
"Visiting professors are international professors, preferably from FHWS’ partner institutions, who come to us at FHWS for a fixed period of time of between two weeks and one semester to teach, as well as to pursue exciting research ideas together with their colleagues at FHWS," explains Dr. Daniel Wimmer, head of the International Office at FHWS (HSIN). He and his team manage the funds granted to them for this purpose by the State Ministry of Science and Art and by the EU. Above all, however, they provide support for the entire process of a visiting professorship. "We make contact or get involved in communication with potential visiting professors," he explains.
Although Dr. Wimmer and his team provide assistance in filling visiting professorships and support with information regarding equal opportunities of faculties and applicants, the decision regarding who can take up a visiting professorship is not made by the International Office, but by the FHWS management. Applications from all over the world land on Barbara Müller-Scheuring's desk first. "I review the application to make sure the documents that need to be submitted are complete," she explains. In total, the application process takes at least six weeks from application to approval. As soon as the application has been approved, the trained interpreter also takes care of finding accommodation for in-person stays and prepares a cultural programme for the guests at the beginning of each semester. The FHWS International Office then supports both the faculties and the visiting professors before, during and after their stay.
The international guests have a lot planned
The first visiting professors arrived in the 2015 winter semester, at that time from Hungary, the USA and Russia. FHWS has been able to fill almost 40 visiting professorships since then. The origin of guests is as varied as the length of stay. According to Müller-Scheuring, the guests stay for a period of at least two weeks and up to six months.
Since the Covid-19 pandemic, the stay takes place in a virtual form – as in the case of Prof. Ndangwa Noyoo. The professor from the South African University of Cape Town was a visiting professor at FHWS in 2021 from mid-March to the end of August. He worked in the Faculty of Applied Social Sciences, where he taught the "Indigenous Social Security Systems in Africa" course in the Social Work bachelor's degree programme and the "Post Colonial Social Work" course in the master's programme. Research was also not neglected during his guest professorship. Together with Prof. Tanja Kleibl and other visiting professors from Greece, Ireland and Zimbabwe, he took on research activities at his host faculty. "We are busy looking at connections between postcolonial social work and international social work in times of a pandemic," he reports. "We are also studying the migration of refugees, asylum seekers and migrants from Africa to Europe and what role social workers can play here." In addition, Prof. Noyoo is working on a book together with Prof. Dr. Kleibl. So it's a packed schedule.
Prof. Alexander Pérez Ruiz from the Colombian capital of Bogotá was also a virtual guest at FHWS in June 2021. He was carrying out teaching and research there in a digital format in collaboration with Prof. Dr. Ansgar Brunn, the Faculty of Plastics Engineering and Surveying’s international affairs officer, as early as May 2020 during the first phase of the pandemic. This step required some difficulties to be overcome. "Prof. Pérez's course in the 'Geodetic Seminar' module focuses on the optimisation of computational processes through parallel programming," explains Prof. Dr. Brunn. Brunn reports that the limited internet speed for data transfer caused problems for the students when visually transferring the practical exercises on an embedded system for image processing. However, overcoming these hurdles also strengthened intercultural cooperation.
ITW: intensive international exchange
Visiting professors can also share their knowledge from an international perspective during International Teaching Week (ITW), thus enabling students to look beyond the proverbial horizon. ITW is a cross-faculty event, where lectures and workshops in various subject areas are held by international guest lecturers for one week. A valuable opportunity for students to gain international experience and credit points even without a stay abroad. The organisation of ITW is characterised by a great deal of flexibility and can also be used for panels to highlight aspects from an international perspective. "Every faculty finds its way to use ITW for the students, as well as for other colleagues of course, in a way that adds value," explains Dr. Wimmer. ITW normally takes place in FHWS lecture rooms. In 2020, it was cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic. For 2021, FHWS has decided to hold ITW in a virtual format.
The fact that the visiting professors keep coming back despite digital teaching shows that they also appreciate the international collaboration with FHWS. As soon as circumstances allow, FHWS intends to facilitate appropriate in-person formats again. “Personal contact is simply more profound in real encounters and provides channels of communication that are prevented by digital transmission,” explains Prof. Dr. Brunn. International Teaching Week will then also take place locally again, in order to bring international cultures and subject areas to either Würzburg or Schweinfurt.
