Promovierendentag and symposium on 15 April 2021Academia: For the Children of University-Educated Parents Only?

Promovierendentag: Overcoming obstacles

“If you come from a non-academic family, you are in the minority,” said acting professor Dr. Christina Möller of the Fachhochschule Dortmund, University of Applied Sciences and Art, in welcoming students to the Promovierendentag. In her keynote speech, she offered an overview of statistics, causes, and possible solutions to the current situation. As special challenges for socially upwardly mobile students, she cited a low level of self-confidence in their own abilities, lack of (academic) networks and a feeling of being “in the wrong place” in the given situation. The various short workshops offered on the Promovierendentag introduced strategies and options for overcoming these and other obstacles. All workshops emphasized being as active as possible in planning one’s own career and establishing networks. Participants also had the opportunity to do the latter immediately—at virtual bar tables or at the trade fair stands from the Doctoral Council of the Hamburg Research Academy and initiatives such as Erste Generation e.V. and arbeiterkind.

Symposium: Academic policy discussion and personal exchange of experiences

What can universities and policy-makers do to support people from non-academic families on their path to academia? What can be done to avoid a “corona generation”? In the search for answers, the symposium first looked at the start of the educational path. The panel discussion then concentrated in particular on the situation of high school and university students, since the pandemic has magnified the obstacles these groups face on their potential journey to the world of academia. The discussion between Prof. Dr. h.c. Jutta Allmendinger, PhD (Berlin Social Science Center), Katharina Fegebank (second mayor and senator), and Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. mult. Ingrid Gogolin (Universität Hamburg) made especially clear that what is needed are not ever more new “model projects” but instead, at long last, systematic support for the children of non-academic parents in climbing the academic career ladder. The transcript of the discussion and the preceding keynote speech by Jutta Allmendinger can be found below.

The program moved swiftly from the on-stage discussion to a direct exchange of thoughts and ideas. In 7 expert forums, early career researchers in Hamburg provided insights into their current research while initiatives presented their portfolio of support services. At the end of the day, Dr. Ann-Kristin Kolwes and Prof. Ingrid Gogolin reported on their personal experiences in academic life. Ann-Kristin Kolwes, a first-generation academic herself, shared how she “wrote herself off” when faced with self-doubt fueled by her background, fear of uncertainty, and a feeling of being in the wrong place when deciding to switch from academia to research and higher education management after earning her doctorate. As the founder of the initiative Erste Generation Promotion e.V. and the coordinator of a mentoring program at Universität zu Köln, she now supports other doctoral students on their journey and in particular in consciously planning the early stages of their career. At the end of the day, the participating researchers were encouraged to take advantage of concrete support offers such as the HRA Promovierendentag and in particular to network with each other. The empowering information exchanged here provided a decisive impetus for a successful career in academia.

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