For 15 years, the Audit "Internationalisation of Universities" offered by the German Rectors' Conference (HRK) has been supporting German universities in developing and enhancing their specific international profile. In this anniversary year, Hamburg University of Technology (TUHH), the University of Hildesheim, the University of Education Freiburg and Hochschule der Medien Stuttgart are to start the HRK Audit. The voluntary audit process combines elements of self-reflection with expert external consulting and is tailored precisely to the profile of the individual university.
"Only a university that thinks and acts internationally can be competitive and ready for the future," says HRK President Prof Dr Walter Rosenthal. "Through the Audit 'Internationalisation of Universities', the HRK has made a significant contribution to embedding internationalisation as a central component of university profile development and integrating it into university development as a strategic cross-cutting issue. The HRK Audit has long been established as a helpful and valuable instrument for quality development in the internationalisation activities of German universities and has become a recognised brand."
Prof Dr Angela Ittel, HRK Vice-President for International Affairs, Equal Opportunities and Diversity, explains in more detail: "The internationalisation of a university, with the honing of its international profile including the corresponding governance, is a holistic, strategic task. This is where the HRK Audit comes in. By taking into account the specific goals, structures and framework conditions of participating universities, the various instruments of the HRK Audit offer an individual, yet comprehensive evaluation, advice and support with long-term institutional added value."
The German higher education landscape benefits from the HRK Audit across the board, explains Ittel: "The insights and findings gained help universities to visualise the challenges facing them and to tackle them systematically. In this way, the HRK can also substantially develop the internationalisation discourse at system level and in dialogue with policymakers – in recent years, for example, with regard to language policy, the internationalisation of curricula and the internationalisation of teacher education."
HRK Audit "Internationalisation of Universities":
Since 2009, a total of 111 universities in Germany have benefited from the advisory and support formats of the HRK's Audit "Internationalisation of Universities", including the Audit, Audit kompakt, Audit Strategy Workshop and Re-Audit processes.
From 2009 to 2016, the HRK Audit was financially supported by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF). Since then, it has been supported by the HRK and funded by a participation fee.
The HRK Audit stands for independent, needs-oriented, holistic and confidential advice on the further development of institutional internationalisation. It provides universities with targeted support in developing their international profile and combines elements of self-reflection with external consulting. Upon successful completion of the audit process, the university receives an electronic seal of participation.
www.hrk.de/en/audit/home/
