In our last BR-Info, we already took a closer look at the positive outcome of the Performance Agreement, which fixed the financing and performance criteria of WU for the years 2025 to 2027. This time, we want to take a closer look at the consequences of the resulting expansion of personnel and organizational development, as well as the foreseeable expansion of the academic programs, on the existing employees and the organization of WU.

A large proportion of the new academic positions fall into the category of full professors and career positions with qualification agreement (QV). In the coming months, the commissions required for the appointment and selection of these positions will place a noticeable additional burden on employees already working at WU. Due to the appointment rules for commissions (50% from the group of full professors, 50:50 appointment ratio) and the still low number of female full professors (approx. 35%), it is to be expected that our female colleagues will be the most heavily burdened.

Everyone involved in dealing with employment in positions with a qualification agreement (QV) will also have a lot to do with the numerous appointments that start soon. For these new QV positions, there are to be changes to the selection process and the assessment decision at the end of the qualification phase, which are welcomed by the Academic Staff Council due to the broader participation that this will bring about. However, it should not be concealed at this point that this will also mean more work for our employees.

In the course of the numerous new appointments and the internationalization of the workforce, which WU is pursuing with vigour, it is to be expected that many new colleagues,  who initially do not yet speak German sufficiently or at all as a teaching and working language, will join the WU staff. This may pose challenges in administration, teaching and self-governance that should be addressed. Since the two largest degree programs at WU continue to be taught mostly in German, the engagement of non-German-speaking academics in these heavily taught curricula is not realistic, at least initially. This could lead to a continuation of current teaching workload for existing teachers in these areas - despite an increase in staff.

However, there are also currently challenges in self-governance for staff who do not yet speak German to the required extent and/or are unfamiliar with the Austrian university system. Many issues discussed in the self-governance bodies (like the Senate) are linked to legal issues. Both the relevant legislation and the relevant documents like  curricula (at least for the German-language programs), the WU By-Laws or operational agreements are written in German.  Therefore the associated debates and negotiations have so far also been held in German and also require extensive contextual knowledge.

From the point of view of the Academic Staff Council, it is therefore  positive that some of the advertisements for professorships that have already been published address the knowledge or learning of the German language within a specific time horizon. Similar requirements should also be stipulated in the tenure positions still to be advertised in order to enable participation in German-language teaching and self-governance as soon as possible. Of course, this also requires support in the form of appropriate and, above all, low-threshold language courses. Furthermore, the Austrian university system should be introduced and further information provided in the onboarding training courses.

In the short term, the growth of WU  will absorb a lot of energy and time resources of the entire organization. The expected benefits (e.g. improved student-teacher ratios in teaching) will only manifest themselves slowly and in the medium term. It is also important that other staff issues that have been discussed for some time should not be forgotten in the process. However, the Rector's Council has assured us in discussions that the working conditions of senior lecturers, for example, will be evaluated and adjusted if necessary. And for those associate professors whose contract started before October 1, 2016 ("QV old"), discussions on possible options for improvements of this staff category were also promised.

^28.05.2025

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