Zeppelin Universität | Mid-Term Strategy 2013 – 2017: “z7z”
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Transcript of Zeppelin Universität | Mid-Term Strategy 2013 – 2017: “z7z”
mid-term strategy 2013 – 2017
Zeppelin University
twenty7teen
Zeppelin University | Am Seemooser Horn 20, 88045 Friedrichshafen | +49 7541 6009 1000 | [email protected] | zu.de/en/strategy
Whatis likely to be the idea of the university of the 21st century – and what will be its impact?
In 2003, Zeppelin University (ZU) was founded out of the civil society and
for society. It is the only private university in Germany without any kind of
government funding. Therefore, it considers the establishment of a close
relationship to society its most important responsibility. With its seven dis-
ciplines from social sciences, business sciences, and the humanities, ZU is
a player within the civil society for “social innovations” that is responsible,
competent, and maintains close relationships. This is achieved by socially
relevant research, student projects and start-ups, as well as by artistic,
medial, and political(ly consulting) interventions. Following the economic
miracle of technology in the 20th century, we will now see the century of
“socialized technology” and reform politics.
Following the strategies of the first (6before8) and the second five years
(zuzwölf), focusing on the founding of academic teaching and organization,
as well as on research and accreditation, in the years 2013 – 2017 the rector-
ate – in the sense of a strategy of self-commitment – will occupy themselves
with vehicles of social responsibility and their academic impact. Our aim:
We will have to be better to the same extent as we are more expensive.
“We will have to be better, more different, and more effective to the same extent as we are more expensive and more valuable.”
Zeppelin University, 2013
S O C I A LI N N O VA T I O N S
zeppelin university bridging business culture politics
Mission
Education
Which contribution in which form
do universities make to future responsible managers?
Research
How do we open new research areas
with our ability to maintain close relationships?
Commitment
How do we become effective beyond
teaching and research – in the region, in industry and
ministries, in cultural institutions and the media?
Quality
How do we as a university measure
our impact on innovations?
Funding
How do we organize and finance
a culture of facilitation for
social innovations by ZU students?
Leadership
With which social innovations do we enhance
employer attractiveness and personnel diversity?
6
16
20
24
28
32
36
S O C I A LI N N O VA T I O N S
Zeppelin University –out of social responsibility and in social responsibility.
M I S S I O N
RESPONS IBILITY QUESTION ABLE
FOR THAT WHICH IS
6
What kind of place can and should a university be in the 21st
century – considering the challenges? What are the functions,
freedoms, and responsibilities of universities that have to be
maintained, rediscovered, and invented anew?
Since its foundation in 2003, Zeppelin University has been
searching for answers to these questions. It sees itself as a
place of responsibility, of questionableness, and thus of the cat-
egorical question, of pioneering curiosity and uncompromising-
yet-constructive criticism.
We consider ourselves committed to the unity of teaching, re-
search, and academic services for social innovations – with
insistent joy.
ZU – triggered by the social responsibility of many sponsors,
foundations, and citizens of the civil society – also sees itself
as a player in civil society for society – beyond pure research
and teaching. It attempts contributions to the identification,
research, and implementation of social innovations – together
with scholars, students, administration, partners, and sponsors.
ZU is dedicated more to current issues than to past answers, to
probability rather than to truth, to interdisciplinary perspectives
on society rather than to business ethics, to questioning the
in-between rather than to providing ready-made answers.
While keeping its distance to society, ZU is still committed to it. It
considers its privilege of freedom the responsibility to work more
effectively and meaningfully for society. It sees the responsibility
to question the university itself. That is why, in 2011, it won the
national competition of the most committed universities, ”More
than research and teaching” by the Association for the Promo-
tion of Science and Humanities in Germany.
“z7z”, by now the third mid-term strategy from 2013 to 2017, is a
catamaran strategy with a hull of excellent substance on the one
hand and one of experimental avant-garde on the other.
Mission? Humboldt 2.0!
Strategy? The catamaran of excellence and experiment!RESPONS IBILITY QUESTION ABLE
7
by means of academic, artistic,
medial, political, and entrepreneurial intervention
for social innovations
M I S S I O N
by means of academic, artistic,
medial, political, and entrepreneurial intervention
for social innovations
M I S S I O N
Social innovation and the logic of inclusion
In modern societies, sociologists talk about functional differen-
tiation – no group in the fore, but many fringe groups. This ex-
plains the demand: inclusion. Player-related inclusion strategies
are making social innovations more likely due to new arenas of
interaction – between citizens and the state, business and civil
society, migrants and natives, companies and employees, dis-
abled and non-disabled people, remedial and university students,
seniors and infants, elites and and and. Inclusion – i.e. the use of
diversity – could thus become a source of innovation of and by
the university.
Social innovation and the logic of hybridization
Original organizations and sectors require clear boundaries to
their environment. Yet the clear separation of state, civil society,
and families reaches its own limits: the issues are now clever, i.e.
in their way separated, hybridizations. Hybrid institutions due to
trans-sectoral cooperations between states, markets, civil soci-
eties, and the sciences. Hybrid value-added due to the solution
of social problems for economic value-added chains – either in
non-markets or developing countries.
Social innovation and the logic of systemization
Innovations take place close to or at boundaries. That is what is
being said. Germany’s competitiveness regarding state, market,
and cultural issues will no longer be decided only by innovations
in technology and services, but by the management of complex
systems of technological, service, cultural, and social innova-
tions. These can be intermodal traffic systems, decentral energy
systems with intelligent grids, multi-infrastructural city develop-
ment, preventive and supportive caring.
11
socialM I S S I O N
But what is the
social aspect of social innovation?
Collective creativity or charitable capital?
M I S S I O N
14
Social innovation and Zeppelin University
A university’s strategy should be clear: excellent teach-
ing and excellent research and up and up in the rankings.
Why not? We have been trying this as well. And it works –
sometimes even impressively.
Zeppelin University acts in the gaps existing between busi-
ness, culture, and politics and their theories and methods.
And here the experiment comes before excellence.
Zeppelin University is dedicated to social innovations us-
ing the means of teaching, research, and other forms of
expression. That is what it has always done – only now it
does so in a more disciplined way. For a lack of discipline
and innovation itself needs a strategy, a discipline, a rou-
tine, and a clarification how far this guiding principle of
social innovation can go.
Zeppelin University will live its strategic focus of social in-
novation with experiments – in the areas of “education”, of
“research”, of “mission”, of “quality assurance”, as well as
of “funding” and of “equipment” together with “organiza-
tional and personnel development”. And in doing this it
will also fail from time to time. As is the case with airships.
But it is also always a matter of disciplined, passionate
comebacks. So are we!15
From the first semester on and in small groups – individualized
research on theoretical, methodical, and empirical approaches to
questions of our society. Research-based interventions for so-
ciety from social, cultural, and politically-entrepreneurial reality –
instead of exams that can be plagiarized.
av a
il
able
What can you still learn if all knowledge seems to all?
S O C I A L I N N O V A T I O N S T H R O U G H E D U C A T I O N
av a
ilabl
e
What can you still learn if all knowledge seems to all?
17
Project orientation: learning as service
The phenomena-related orientation towards challenges and
projects has the purpose of learning confusedly, exploring cu-
riously, experimenting courageously, observing precisely, argu-
ing analytically, and implementing carefully (“challenge-based
learning”). The dichotomy between project-orientation and ac-
ademic standards is made possible by the close interconnection
with the curricula. This connection is implemented in various
forms and formats. In addition to the contents of the disciplines,
the curricula also reflect social phenomena. Social commitment
and social innovations are closely connected with subject-spe-
cific learning (“service learning”).
Mission: education through insistent presence
At ZU, university education also means questioning the in-be-
tween and finding in-between solutions for social challenges.
Seminars emphasize discursive presence of lecturers and stu-
dents instead of unidirectional presentations. “Reading in ad-
vance” saves you the lectures. Learning from peers outside the
box allows for self-development and self-correction. Digitiliza-
tion allows for cognitively differentiated preparation. Teaching
based on direct exchange will be remembered only when it cov-
ers that which cannot be documented digitally. Our challenge for
the social innovations of education: working in digital presence
and developing implicit knowledge.
For everything else the following applies:
Position Paper “Quality of Research-oriented Teaching”.
Lesson formats: gaining explicit and implicit knowledge
ZU has won many prizes, awards, and impressive ranking po-
sitions for its didactics. It will also venture experiments in new
structural and didactic concepts in the coming years and for that
aim also strengthen the rectorate accordingly. The research fo-
cus in the bachelor (“undergraduate research” in the “Zeppelin
Year” and the “Humboldt Year”) are examples of such exper-
imental innovations. Even with a four-year bachelor program
we believe in maintaining a two-year master structure.
The emphasis is on theory-focused, literature-based seminars
in small groups where roles between teachers and those being
taught change. Method-based classes are always taught in ref-
erence to problem areas (“splashy transfer of dry methods”).
“Instant Lectures”, “StudentStudies”, issue-driven or country-
specific conference study programs and further didactic ideas
by colleagues and students are supported actively.
External as well as internal lecturers are to exchange their expe-
rience and reflection using appropriate didactic concepts and are
closely connected to ZU by quality partnerships.
S O C I A L I N N O V A T I O N S T H R O U G H E D U C A T I O N
18
Maybe creative accessibility
– bold &indepen- dent.
19
Internationalization: research-based program partners
instead of exchange-dequalification
Internationalization is more than just exchange. The “Humboldt
Year” with its partnerships with selected and ZU-specific re-
search universities such as Berkeley, Copenhagen, and Gold-
smiths, or the master program with Cambridge was the begin-
ning of the end – of the end of purely exchange-based partner
universities. Until 2017, both in the bachelor and the master pro-
grams, four research-based double-degree- and perspectively
also joint-degree programs – will be developed.
Creativity & value-added entrepreneurship:
paradoxes of compulsory creativity
The role model of the decision-maker and creative shaper is part
of the mission in founding. Academia deals with that which can
be known and making it explicit. But more is at stake. The focus
is on the development of one’s own – even implicit – forms of
creativity, their performance, and reflection – artistic, entrepre-
neurial, and academic, specifically implemented in the obligatory
class “Creative Performance”, the “arts program” and the sem-
inar “Value-Added Entrepreneurship” bridging business, poli-
tics, and civil society. Creativity and entrepreneurship are active-
ly supported and promoted by ZU – by itself and permanently!
Feedback and feedforward instead of “voting by feet”
Achievement is an obligation. Our far-reaching quality assurance
system starts with something that is not a matter of course: an
open 360 degree feedback culture. At ZU, clarity in the objec-
tives of seminars, transparency regarding grading, and individual
feedback on performance are resources of an ongoing improve-
ment process and the start of explaining communication.
.
S O C I A L I N N O V A T I O N S T H R O U G H E D U C A T I O N
Forms of examinations: pioneering constructions
instead of plagiarism-sensitive reconstructions
A clear commitment to socially relevant research requires the
compliance with the principles of good academic practice. This
includes, among other things, the consistent check of plagiarism.
Examinations are more focused on knowledge that cannot be
known and thus are less susceptible to plagiarism.
The university of the 21st century under the condition of the
digital availability of knowledge: presence in distance
The next university will be digital – beyond time and space. Digital
education, however, will have to be more than the pure informa-
tion logistics of the last decades. Our understanding of education
therefore applies in the same way to the digital world: project-
oriented, research-based, learning outside the box. To make this
possible ZU is working on the development of completely new
digital learning designs – cooperating with partners from technol-
ogy and blended learning contexts, international in its approach,
and individual in its work with the participants. Further aims are
the reflexive accompanying research and the responsibility for
the mobilization of new target groups for tertiary education that
thus becomes possible.
S O C I A L I N N O V A T I O N S T H R O U G H R E S E A R C H
Relevance.Resonance.Resonance
De-infantilization of research. Making graduate school less school. Experimental excellence.
Relevance.Resonance.Resonance
21
undis
ciplin
ed
Prolifically sustainable in-between solutions
need to be focused on
interdisciplinary phenomena
S O C I A L I N N O V A T I O N S T H R O U G H R E S E A R C H
22
Rigorousness, risk, relevance, and resonance
expansion of “Zeppelin University Graduate School | ZUGS”
opening up of research areas
DFG-membership and research rankings
Responsibility: “community-based research”
research for the region and its interest groups
2 – 3 projects per year both in and beyond the region
Publications: maximization of audiences, i.e. the public
plurality of publication media
“intelligent trivialization”
academic political consulting
A-journal numbers, use of own publications and channels
Third-party funds: proof of relevance by promotion
without fetish
third-party funds by competitions or foundations
between 30,000 and 100,000 EUR per year/per professor
Young academics: balance of autonomy and promotion
cooperative promotion by supervision agreements and
partly-structured program
continuity in academia & areas close to academia
Interdisciplinary experiments yet disciplinary excellence
questions instead of subjects
university bridging business, culture, and politics
high percentage of interdisciplinary work
Alternative mainstreams:
emergence for idiosyncracies
expansion of cross-departmental
research centers
undis
ciplin
ed
sustainable in-between solutions
need to be focused on
interdisciplinary phenomena
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S O C I A L I N N O V A T I O N S T H R O U G H R E S E A R C H
Rigorousness, risk, relevance, and resonance
ZU, and especially the “Zeppelin University Graduate School
ZUGS” is committed to the methodical rigorousness, the theses-
related risks, the subject-related relevance, and the target-group
related resonance of its research.
Responsibility through research:
“community-based research”
Every scholar, as well as the ethics commission, is responsible
for research. Yet the responsibility through research as a univer-
sity – e.g. for the region or other target groups – is just as central.
ZU is further expanding its approach towards research orientation
as its responsibility for its environment.
Publications: maximization of audiences,
i.e. many public spheres
Research also means publications. Zeppelin University does not
only try to serve the narrow specialist audience in narrow spe-
cialist journals, but encourages repeat publications for various
audiences. The plurality of publication media, as well as the intel-
ligent trivialization in the sense of a translation, is appreciated, for
the academic world is a public one.
Third-party funds: proof of relevance by promotion
yet avoiding fetishization
Sometimes the quality of research is measured according to
quantities that only seem to be objective, such as the raising of
third-party funds awarded in competitions. If you have no better
idea, you should draw on research. It clearly shows that third-
party funds also create counter-productive self-perpetuating
dynamics, dependencies on size, as well as on areas: those who
already have will get even more. As a smaller university ZU tries to
develop individual research projects through a research support
system (FUSY). ZU welcomes the procurement of third-party
funds also as one possible proof of the relevance of its work.
It sees no need to dramatize, yet the need to re-evaluate the
appreciation even of non-state granted research funding by the
civil society.
Young academics: balance
of autonomy and cooperative promotion
The quality of this phase of the professional qualification of young
academics is determined by the balance between the autono-
my of their independent work and the cooperative promotion by
their supervisors specified in the supervision agreement. Addi-
tional factors are the partly-structured program as well as the
academic environment of the ZUGS and its partners. The focus
is on developing the competence to transmit academic contents.
Interdisciplinary experiments yet disciplinary excellence:
questions instead of subjects
Since its foundation, ZU as a university that bridges business,
culture, and politics has been following an interdisciplinary ap-
proach. The “Zeppelin University Graduate School | ZUGS” is
committed to a solid disciplinary basis combined with the will-
ingness of all researchers to deal with research issues and per-
spectives of different disciplines.
Alternative mainstreams: emergence for idiosyncracies
The funding of the cross-disciplinary research centers of ZU will
be expanded. The research associations developing in academic
self-organization, and the accredited research clusters of ZU are
the basis of the identification of interdisciplinary research issues,
also for doctoral projects.
S O C I A L I N N O V A T I O N S T H R O U G H C O M M I T M E N T
No beacon that only warns of itself. ZU as a university maintaining close relationships within society.
No beacon that only warns of itself. ZU as a university maintaining close relationships within society.
RESP
ONSIVENESS
25
loves S O C I A L I N N O V A T I O N S T H R O U G H C O M M I T M E N T
ZU
Projects and relationships – out of egoistic empathy!
loves Responsiveness:
48 h response, 7 days for project assessment
primary response to external project inquiries within 48 hours
pre-assessment of projects within 7 days: feasibility
and modalities
7 – 10 new projects per year resulting from 100 inquiries
Public university: agora for the citizens
events for the region beyond the academic sphere
civic involvement – platform/regional conference
100 events and one regional conference per year
Lifelong learning:
the multi-generational university
“Zeppelin University Professional School”
children’s, teenagers’, and seniors’ university
six executive programs and diversity
Regional integration: service-oriented learning
20% of all seminars have a “service-learning” orientation
demand-oriented sparring partners
social work placement even before the beginning of studies
Cooperation organization & holding company
ZU Micro Equity GmbH & Co. KG
and a university-student consulting organization
Strategic Policy Unit for University Innovation (SAUI)
TalentCenter including “Post Placement” services
“Social Venture & Research Team” for social innovation
Reporting: do good and talk about it
documentation and evaluation
academic impact report
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Projects and relationships – out of egoistic empathy!
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S O C I A L I N N O V A T I O N S T H R O U G H C O M M I T M E N T
Responsiveness:
external project inquiries with a 48 h commitment to respond
External project inquiries receive a response within 48 hours,
including an evaluation of their potential, possible first ideas on
structures, as well as implementation processes and a sched-
uled proposal for the further specification of the process details.
Public university: agora for the citizens
The university is a place of provocation, i.e. a place for sustainable
and resonating debates and discourses. In approximately 100
events per academic year, pressing current issues are offered to
all interested citizens and the academic public. At least one third
of all external speakers are female.
Lifelong learning: the multi-generational university
At German universities, the youth cult rules. We have younger
and younger students, yet they are basically more and more ex-
perienced. All curricular offers of lifelong learning are combined
in the “Zeppelin University Professional School”. Six executive
master programs, each of them with a clearly determined focus
and a specific target group. The questions of the participants are
the starting point for the research-based work in the seminars.
Regional and curricular integration:
every fifth series of seminars service-oriented learning
ZU has a system for integrating social issues into the curriculum
in service-oriented learning concepts together with external
project partners. At least 20% of all ZU events integrate aspects
of service-oriented learning. This builds on the social work place-
ments before the beginning of studies, as well as on the real-life
case studies in our selection process.
Extra-curricular projects and start-up initiatives:
promoted self-interest
Study-accompanying projects and start-up initiatives by students
are supported by an institutionalized promotion system that is
directly linked to the rectorate. Here, at least 30 student projects
and 10 start-up initiatives are promoted per year. Many of them
have a local-regional reference.
Reporting: do good and talk about it
The documentation and evaluation of all activities and projects
of the university is self-evident for ZU: the yearly published ac-
ademic impact report summarizes everything comprehensibly.
The ability to maintain close relationships requires
Integrated interface: ZU Scientific Services GmbH
As a university which is able to maintain close relationships
ZU integrates elements of academic consulting, continuing
education, and of contract research, and thus operates in a de-
mand-oriented way as a sparring partner for institutions from
business, culture, and politics. These offers are combined in the
Scientific Services GmbH.
Support structures:
companies and centers of ZU
We are further expanding our holding company ZU Micro
Equity GmbH & Co. KG, are founding a consulting firm run by
the university and students, and are strengthening the “Stra-
tegic Policy Unit for University Innovation | SAUI”, the center
for university development, as well as the center for strategic
partnerships, the TalentCenter and the alumni office, which
among others co-manage the student career fair “ZUtaten”.
S O C I A L I N N O V A T I O N S T H R O U G H Q U A L I T Y
O r
ga
nize
d
28
to the union.
Two levels of integration: “group of project developers” and
“social venture research team”
All those involved in projects communicate with and inform the
other relationship managers – always hoping for a connection.
The mentioned centers, researchers, the Civil Society Center,
as well as students and additional staff members are integrat-
ed into the “Social Venture & Research Team”, which supports
and evaluates the development and implementation of social
innovations.
Reporting: do good and talk about it
The projects and initiatives are evaluated together with external
partners. Documentation and evaluation are published once a
year in the “Social & Economic Impact Report” of ZU. You can
find the current report at: zu.de/zutun
O r
ga
nize
d
W i
tn
esse
s
But how does this work at universities?
29
S O C I A L I N N O V A T I O N S T H R O U G H Q U A L I T Y
Qua
lifica
tion
or
gani
zation
due
to
of
the
Why do students learn in universities but the universities do not learn from them?
30
Quality management beyond mere staging
learning university: systematic quality assurance and
process optimization in all service areas
quality assurance = university development
successful system re-accreditation
System of overall quality responsibility
vice-presidency, quality council, and daily implementation
annual quality report to the senate
academic impact report
Quality-oriented systemic process design
quality assurance and quality development due to:
establishing appropriate systemic framework conditions
with the introduction of a key-figure oriented, integrated,
transparent quality assurance system
further developing and rooting of the quality concept in
panels connected to the senate (program boards, councils)
system accreditation of the service area of “teaching”
Innovation due to development/quality drivers of
criticism
open dealing with criticism in regular panel work
open participation formats of the university
(critical reflection)
participation before decision-making
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aniz
atio
n
qual
ity.
the of
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S O C I A L I N N O V A T I O N S T H R O U G H Q U A L I T Y
Quality management beyond mere staging:
learning university
A private university has to be better to the same extent as it is
more expensive for sponsors and students than state universi-
ties. A systematic quality assurance and process optimization
in all service areas (teaching, research, academic and adminis-
trative services) and the positive re-accreditation in the accred-
itation processes of the institution itself and its right to confer
doctorate degrees by the Science Council are top priority at ZU.
As a learning university quality assurance is also university devel-
opment, since quality requires procedural assurance, as well as
dynamic generation by both standardized and ad hoc structures
of participation.
Overall responsibility quality:
vice-presidency, quality council, and daily implementation
Quality management has its own position of vice president in
the rectorate. The quality concept of the university means the
aggregation of “learning entities” and becomes manifest in the
contributions by those teaching, by staff members, and stu-
dents, the culture and structure of the organization, and its devel-
opment and decision-making processes. The “quality council”
provides a senate-related evaluation of the quality management
and thus wins support for the daily implementation of quality.
Quality-oriented process design
in a systemic context
ZU’s strategic quality assurance has its effects regarding the
establishment and process organization in (1) the creation of
appropriate systemic framework conditions by introducing a
key-figure oriented, integrated, transparent quality assurance
system, (2) the further development and rooting of the quality
concept in the organizational structure, the panels connected
to the senate (boards, councils), and in the leadership and par-
ticipation instruments of ZU, (3) the system accreditation for
the service area of “teaching”.
Innovativeness due to development
and quality drivers of criticism
The task-related regular panels of the university, and especially
also its open formats of participation (e.g. development day, zones,
boards etc.) constitute forums of critical reflection and gener-
ators of ideas for the strategic and operative further develop-
ment of the university as a whole and its processes in particular.
S O C I A L I N N O V A T I O N S T H R O U G H F U N D I N G
THROUGHATTENTIVE
NESS32
THROUGH
friends and patrons facilitate the culture of facilitation at ZU
ALLOCATION
33
S O C I A L I N N O V A T I O N S T H R O U G H F U N D I N G
For a society with its seven senses.
[Sense endowing university]
34
Attentiveness through allocation:
funding of our 7 senses
of our senses of feeling, hearing, direction, justice, symbols,
orientation, and freedom
endowment funds grow by eight-figure sums
Three-pillar model: funding mix of an independent ZU
sustainable basic funding
tuition that can be financed in a socially acceptable way
sponsoring and third-party funding
Social innovations: university/student funding
socially fair financing offers for students
business models of university funding
expansion of scholarship offers and funds for hardship cases
Location: magnetic presence of a flexible university
campuses Seemooser Horn and Fallenbrunnen as
memorable places
hospitality: teaching, research, art, place of critical analysis
of and within society
MainCampus Fallenbrunnen and urban development:
creative quarters are closing ranks
urban infrastructure, public transport, housing market,
and day care facilties
Social innovation on-site: ZU’s container outposts
CapitalCampus in Berlin and possibility of additional locations
“ContainerUni” and “Humboldt-Container – zu|mobile”
Services and infrastructures: flexibility during growth
library, IT, and cafeteria
Upper-Swabian use of resources and long-term financing
liquidity protection eight years in advance
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S O C I A L I N N O V A T I O N S T H R O U G H F U N D I N G
Attentiveness through allocation: funding of our 7 senses
ZU’s endowment funds are being expanded by an additional
eight-figure funding by our patrons. For the different senses of a
university – from feeling and hearing to orientation – everything
is promoted by those who endow sense.
3-pillar model: funding mix of an independent ZU
Independence is not cheap. At ZU, 1. sustainable sponsorships,
2. socially acceptable financed tuition, and 3. project-generat-
ed gains and grants will guarantee the university’s funding and
financial independence of the influence of third parties. The
supporting ZU foundation guarantees the governance-related
independence of research and teaching.
Social innovations in funding the university and the students
ZU permanently tries new forms of financing a private university,
and socially fair student funding. We are developing new models
of both university and parent-independent student funding. ZU
supports students in financing questions, e.g. scholarship offers,
qualified financial advice, and hardship case funds to be expand-
ed with students, alumni, and sponsors.
Location: magnetic presence of a flexible university
Our campuses Seemooser Horn and Fallenbrunnen are memora-
ble sites of the unknown, of successful communication, coopera-
tion, hospitality: teaching, research, art, protected and yet public
places of the critical analysis of and within society.
MainCampus Fallenbrunnen and urban development:
creative quarters are closing ranks
The development from former military barracks to creative quar-
ters works together with the city and those who love culture and
education. ZU and its partners focus on the joint further develop-
ment of urban infrastructure, the connection to public transport,
sustainable and affordable housing for students, and day care
facilities to combine work or studies and family life.
Social innovation on-site: ZU’s container outposts
ZU develops permanent and temporary locations on-site and is
trying to expand the CapitalCampus in Berlin, and in selected
national and international cities – with our partners. We are con-
sidering an inner-city presence in Friedrichshafen, and the reali-
zation of the “Humboldt-Container – zu|mobile” idea to provide
students e.g. in the Humboldt Year or the master program with
a mobile research laboratory for field research even in unusual
regions or crisis areas.
Central services and infrastructures: flexibility during growth
ZU is growing, and the central services feel this most. The library,
IT, and the cafeteria are growing in size and equipment and con-
tinuously developing their offers corresponding to ZU’s profile
and the social framework conditions. Flexibility in work-related
and catering issues is proven by a further development of collab-
orative campus management systems and catering facilities at
the different campuses.
Economical use of resources: Upper-Swabian
Efficiency of structural costs and effective handling of sponsor-
ships are typical of the Upper-Swabian Zeppelin University. This
includes the consistent procurement of percentages of general
costs in case of project financing – for project infrastructures
have to be financed.
Funding 2017: long-term liquidity and broad assets
A progressively thinking university capable of projects requires
a sustainable, fundable endowment. Liquidity has been guaran-
teed for 8 years in advance due to rolling basic agreement to pro-
vide funds and deficit guarantees against Baden-Württemberg.
S O C I A L I N N O V A T I O N S T H R O U G H L E A D E R S H I P
ZU
cultures of facilitation through standard stars and turbulent teams.
Process stability to allow for flexibility: capacities,
division of labor, and cross-sectoral processes
Process stability to allow for flexibility: capacities, division
of labor, and cross-sectoral processes. ZU lives a culture
of “yes-persons” – until a no is justified. We called this
“culture of facilitation” in our last strategy and in its growth
it is getting more and more demanding. Together with the
leadership circle of ZU the conditions for the possibility of
a culture of facilitation have been defined, and they will
be developed further until 2017. Considering the available
capacity and its economical handling we consider it our
responsibility to facilitate research, teaching, services
and social innovations, and projects that integrate all of
these. A culture of facilitation requires lean administrative
Routines are just as important as innovations:
routinized innovations as well
Efficiency in processes, panels, and decision-making are the
pre-conditions for a flexible organization capable of projects. In
this sense we are developing the establishment and process
organization of the university – continuously and with a focus
on quality assurance. A central idea is the division of labor in the
staff-related development, professionalization, communication
and training of standards (“standard star”) on the one hand and
a structure of dealing with ad hoc requests and projects on the
other (“turbulent teams”). In the sense of “job rotations” or “job
enrichment” the employee has the chance to discuss their con-
tribution to the standard and to the turbulent situations actively
with their line managers.
Decentralization of responsibility:
growth means alertness on all fronts
As a consequence of the university’s growth and the division
of labor, the rectorate will decentralize many tasks with clear
activities, competences, and responsibilities (also concerning
budgets) – e.g. in the area of curricular responsibility, of quality
management, of subject group organization, of the qualification
of young academics, etc. To do so, new administrative and aca-
demic forms of self-organization will have to be tried out.
and fast, decentral decision-making
processes, direct communication, as
well as a high degree of self-responsi-
bility and capacity to act by both staff
members and students. We pay spe-
cial attention to the coordination and
reliability at interfaces which are further
intensified by service commitments
that are evaluated every two years and
by ad hoc meetings to cross-sectoral
processes (IAPs).
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S O C I A L I N N O V A T I O N S T H R O U G H L E A D E R S H I P
Universes for
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Staff recruiting/development:
innovative employer
thirst for knowledge, commitment, and colleagueship
social innovations for work-relevant, spatial, and temporal
individualization of work
dual career options in cooperation with regional
employers
Incentive, leadership, and participation structures
more profound development than money: feedback,
flexibility, education
“social office for staff” and leadership self-image
Support of social commitment of staff members
responsibility and the willingness to accept it
reference to existing ZU projects and the region welcome
four hours of work per month
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Working at universities is universal, but how do we support uniqueness?For more diversity of the university!
Universes for
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S O C I A L I N N O V A T I O N S T H R O U G H L E A D E R S H I P
Staff recruitment and development:
ZU as an innovatively individualizing employer
Our academic and administrative members of staff are the uni-
versity’s most important asset – together with our students,
sponsors, and partners. The work environment is characterized
by thirst for knowledge, commitment, and colleagueship. Mutual
trust, honesty, passion for the matters at hand, care of and re-
spect for the colleagues, the tasks and the expectations of our
target groups – these are the values guiding our actions. The
work-related, spatial, and temporal individualization of our work
based on different competences, as well as the possibilities of
participation beyond rituals, are attractive aspects.
Incentive, leadership, and participation structures:
more profound development than merely money
ZU does not believe in purely monetary incentive structures, but
rather in regular, attentive, appreciative, and respectfully open
feedbacks, in varied standardized, as well as individual qualifica-
tion opportunities and development possibilities of job profiles,
flexible working hours, support structures for the audited com-
patibility of family and career, including the development of a
dual career pool together with regional employers, optional com-
pany benefits, and innovative support offers such as our “social
office for staff”. Our leadership self-image is re-evaluated openly
every two years to check for discrepancies. As a result of the
university’s growth, the participation arenas of the leadership cir-
cle (FKK), the extended management circle (EMK) or extended
scholars’ circle (EWK) are cultivated as events of collectivization,
development, and correction.
Support of the social commitment of staff members:
impact somewhere else for a change
Zeppelin University considers it its responsibility to support its
staff members’ readiness to take on responsibility for society. We
especially welcome those initiatives referring to existing projects
by students or academics of ZU, projects supporting the advance-
ment of education in the region, as well as further social commit-
ments. Four hours of work per month can be granted for this.
H I S T O R Y A N D R E V I E W 20
03
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
January 2007studentsmembers of staffpartner universities
October 2005studentsmembers of staffpartner universities
September 2003studentsmembers of staffpartner university
3475330
1513616
19151
June 2003Founding of Zeppelin University, provision of financing by Zeppelin GmbH, appointment of Prof. Dr. Stephan A. Jansen as Founding President
May 2006Grand opening of the 3rd department
“Public Management & Governance”
December 2007ZU becomes an endowment university. The future strategy
“zuzwölf” is passed
September 2007Grand opening of the Dr. Manfred Bischoff Institute for Innovation Management of EADS
June 2006Presentation of the innovative place in the “Land of Ideas” award by German Federal President Dr. Horst Köhler
December 2006Founders’ meeting of the Zeppelin University Association ZU|G
September 2003Start of two bachelor degree programs in business studies and communication and cultural studies
November 2004Start of the Citizens’ University series with guests such as Thomas Gottschalk and Dr. Norbert Lammert
Founding2003 – 2007
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
September 2012studentsmembers of staffpartner universities
May 2011studentsmembers of staffpartner universities
September 2009studentsmembers of staffpartner universities
1008201
70
77315765
62013558
September 2011Conferral of the right to award doctoral and post-doctoral degrees and start of four-yearbachelor degrees
December 2007ZU becomes an endowment university. The future strategy
“zuzwölf” is passed
October 2008Grand opening of the Deutsche TelekomInstitute for Connected Cities
January 2008Inauguration of the new building at Seemooser Horn campus
May 2008First listing in the CHE university rankingwith top grades across all three departments October 2009
Grand opening of the facilities in FAB 18 asinterim solution
February 2010More than 100 start-ups by ZU students
January 2011ZU has 65 partner universities worldwide. New partner: Sciences Po in Paris
August 2010Grand opening of ZU Professional School, start of the part-time Master of Family Entrepreneurship
June 2013Ground-breaking for the new ZU MainCampus
July 2012Ernst Susanek hands over the presidency of the ZU|Foundation to Thomas Sattelberger
January 2012The ZU Graduate School is founded
October 2012Grand opening of the ContainerUniin Fallenbrunnen
June 201220 million donated by ZF Friedrichshafen AG for the new MainCampus and 10.5 million donated by the Karl Schlecht Foundation
February 2011Success in“Germany’s most Committed University” competition Prize money 200,000 €
May 2011All study programsamong the top 6 in the CHE ranking; Science Council recommends autonomous entitlement to award doctoral degrees for ZU
February 2009First institutionalaccreditation of a Southern German private university by the Science Council
Expansion2008 – 2012
Social Innovation2013 – 2017
p u b l i c d e b t e n e r g y c o m m u n i c
a t i o n m o b i l i t y c l i m a t e p r o t
e c t i o n c o n s u m e r p o l i c y u r b a n
d e v e l o p m e n t s o c i a l s t a t e
l e a d e r s h i p s e c u r i t y c o r r u p
t i o n f i n a n c i a l m a r k e t a r c h i
t e c t u r e s d e m o g r a p h i c s c i v i l
s o c i e t y e d u c a t i o n a s s e t s c u
l t u r e p o l i t i c s s y s t e m c o m p e
t i t i o n m i g r a t i o n s u s t a i n
a b i l i t y v a l u e s m a n a g e m e n t
m e d i a e t h i c s r e f o r m c o m m u n i c
a t i o n p o l i t i c s p r o c e s s p r o t e s t
a n d w h a t s h a l l u n i s d o n o w ?
Publisher: Zeppelin Universität, Rectorate | Art Direction: Philipp N. Hertel