Sustainable Diversity – BOKU Diversity Strategy

Sustainable Diversity

With the implementation of a Diversity Strategy, BOKU is committed to a culture of diversity and an attitude of appreciation towards all students and employees at BOKU.

Like all areas of society, universities are also permeated by power relations that affect individuals in the form of privileges and disadvantages. As a university, BOKU has a social responsibility to enable equal participation and successful studying and working for all*.

One of BOKU's essential concerns is to make diversity liveable but also visible and to create a fair environment for all members. With concrete measures in the areas of study, teaching, research, personnel and international affairs, BOKU is committed to dismantling structural barriers in order to achieve equal access and advancement opportunities for all*.

The future topics of diversity, inclusion and social sustainability are closely interlinked as part of BOKU's diversity strategy (DSB). This approach is sustainable, holistic, long-term and resource-intensive.

By linking the six core goals of the DSB with eight Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the UN-Agenda 2030, diversity and inclusion issues are strengthened in the context of social sustainability.

The target dimensions of the national strategy on the social dimension are also reflected in the core objectives of the DSB. BOKU thus embeds the social strategy integratively and intersectionally within the framework of the DSB. The target group of the measures are all BOKU members - both (potential) employees and (potential) students.

In this participative-iterative process, all BOKU members are invited to help shape a socially inclusive culture.

6 Key Targets

A key concern of BOKU is to achieve equal access and advancement opportunities and equity for all and to break down structural barriers. The following six key targets are intersectionally intertwined with Sustainable Development Goals and guide this process:

Equity and Anti-discrimination

Accessibility and inclusion

Social inclusion

Reconciliation of study, work, and other areas of life

Generational equity

Ethnic Diversity & Antiracism

Sustainable Diversity is the key concept of the diversity strategy of BOKU. The DSB combines six strategic core goals with the following eight Sustainable Development Goals/Sustainable Development Goals of the 2030 Agenda: SDG 1 - No poverty, SDG 2 - Zero hunger, SDG 3 - Good health and well-being, SDG 4 - Quality Education, SDG 5 - Gender Equality, SDG 8 - Decent work, SDG 10 - Reduced inequalities and SDG 16 - Peace, justice and strong institutions.

7 Fields of Action

To ensure that more equal opportunities and participation are possible for all people studying and working at BOKU, it is necessary to implement targeted measures in all areas and at all levels of the university. The BOKU diversity strategy therefore focuses on seven fields of action:

Diversity and University management

Diversity and Study

Diversity and Teaching / Education

Diversity and Research

Diversity and Personnel

Diversity and International

Diversity and Communication

In all seven fields of action, the DSB is working with a total of 20 short, medium and long-term measures to make studying and working fair for everyone and to break down barriers.

Klausur-Teilnehmende im Handlungsfeld Diversität und Kommunikation — Retreat participants in the field of diversity and communication (July 2024): the Rector and representatives of the University Council, Public Relations, Teaching: Communication and Reporting and the Coordination Office for Gender Equality, Diversity and Accessibility. Keynote speaker Christine Steger (Disability Advocate / Republic of Austria) is not pictured.

A drawn hand writes the German word Vielfalt, which means diversity

BOKU Awareness Days – Competence building: Equity, Diversity, Inclusion

As part of the annual Awareness Days, various formats such as workshops, panel discussions and networking spaces are offered for all BOKU members. This is an opportunity to exchange ideas, acquire knowledge and build up skills and competences in the areas of equity, diversity, anti-discrimination and social participation as well as disability/chronic illness and inclusion.

The detailed program for November 2024 will be announced on the website of the Coordination Office.

A look back over the last few years reveals the broad spectrum of the diverse range of services on offer. You can find more information (in German) at the following link: https://short.boku.ac.at/diversitaetsstrategie (Section Awareness Days)

Diversity Day on June 5, 2024

Preisträger*innen der Diversitätspreise Forschung 2024, Rektorin, Mitglieder der Jury, Team der Koordinationsstelle

On June 5th we celebrated the first BOKU Diversity Day in Tulln - all BOKU members were cordially invited!

Together, we are sending a powerful signal for more diversity and against discrimination and violence.

The first item on the program was the raising of the new progress rainbow flags at the UFT and IFA.

The second highlight was the presentation of the first diversity awards for research projects at BOKU - in a pleasant atmosphere with a buffet and drinks. You can find more information about the Diversity Award under the following link: https://short.boku.ac.at/diversityaward_research

Departure and Arrival

Meeting point Bahnhof Spittelau 8:45 Uhr

Departure Wien Spittelau 9:02 am – Ankunft Tulln 9:45 am

Gemeinsame Rückreise

Tulln Bahnhof 13:03 pm – Ankunft Spittelau 13:45 pm

All costs including travel expenses and meals will be covered. We look forward to many participants and ask you to register by May 10 at kostelle@boku.ac.at

Photo Gallery Diversity Day in Tulln 2024

Diversity Award for research 2024

In December 2023, BOKU announced the Diversity Award for Research for the first time. The award ceremony will take place at the first BOKU Diversity Day on June 5, 2024 in Tulln.

The establishment of the award is a measure of the diversity strategy that has been implemented at BOKU and is intended to radiate into all fields of action at our university - as in this case in the field of diversity and research.

You can find more information at the following link: https://short.boku.ac.at/diversityaward_research

Minerva Awards 2024

Maciej Palucki nimmt die Urkunde für die BOKU entgegen

Minerva Awards - BOKU's diversity strategy makes it onto the shortlist

Around 100 organizations and companies submitted entries for the WEconomy "Diversity Leaders Challenge". The best were honored at the Minerva Awards on April 28, 2024 at the Radiokulturhaus.

Success for BOKU's diversity strategy! Sustainable Diversity, the name of the participatory and sustainable diversity strategy of the Coordination Office for Equality, Diversity and Disability, has made it onto the shortlist of the 30 best and most innovative companies in the field of diversity in the "Diversity Leaders Challenge". The three winners - Wiener Stadtwerke Group, Manz Verlag and ÖBB Holding - were honored at the Minerva Awards on April 28, 2024 at the Radiokulturhaus.

BOKU's participatory, transparent and sustainable diversity strategy combines the future topics of diversity, inclusion and social sustainability. Maciej Palucki, Ela Posch and Ruth Scheiber-Herzog are responsible for the strategy and its operational implementation.

Kick-off steering group June 2023

Steuerungsgruppe Diversitätsstrategie: Franz Fehr, Margarita Calderón-Peter, Doris Damyanovic, Nina Mathies, Eva Schulev-Steindl, Maciej Palucki, Stefanie Lemke, Caroline Hammer(v.l.n.r.)

Steering group Diversity strategy

BOKU's diversity strategy has set itself core objectives such as equality & anti-discrimination, accessibility & inclusion, compatibility, intergenerational equity, social inclusion and ethnic diversity, as well as meta-objectives such as transparency through communication. The aim is to share the steps and procedures within the strategy with as many BOKU members as possible:

On June 1, the Diversity Strategy Steering Group was launched in the Gregor Mendel House. It was set up by Rector Eva Schulev-Steindl and is moderated by Maciej Palucki.

The steering group will meet twice a year in order to network the various fields of action in the sense of a holistic approach, to stimulate new ideas, to recognize problems, to pick up on moods in their areas and to support and promote the agendas in the field of diversity at BOKU internally.

Status Quo March 2023

With its commitment to implementing a diversity strategy, BOKU has set itself the goal of making the university more equal opportunity, more inclusive and more diverse. After the first participatory milestone of the process - the kick-off event of the strategy in the context of the "Werte im Wandel" days in November 2022, the Coordination Office for Gender Equality, Diversity and Accessibility (Ko-Stelle) continues to work intensively with the client of the strategy, the university management. Meetings with BOKU members and stakeholders take place on an ongoing basis in order to be able to implement and realize diversity jointly and effectively. In total, about 100 measures have been identified so far in this participatory process, which are now being reviewed in terms of feasibility, financial viability and effectiveness in exchange with the rectorate and will be elaborated in detail in the future. The first measures within the framework of the diversity strategy will be implemented before the end of 2023 and will be visible at the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences.

Kick-off Diversity Strategy 2022

Vor dem Hintergrund des Ilse-Wallentin-Hauses hält eine Person das Schild mit der Aufschrift "Raum für Vielfalt" in die Kamera.

How should diversity be lived and experienced at the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences in the future?

At the kick-off of the BOKU Diversity Strategy (DSB) on November 16 from 13:00 to 17:00 this important question will be answered in a participatory way. All BOKU members are cordially invited to participate and to jointly contribute ideas and recommendations for action at the kick-off. They will be accompanied by BOKU internal and external experts in the fields of equality, diversity and inclusion.

Welcome Rector LL.M. Univ.Prof. Mag. Dr.iur. Eva Schulev-Steindl

Keynote Dr.in Roswitha Hofmann

World Café Within the framework of a World Café format, topic tables on the individual fields of action will be available: Diversity and University Management, Diversity and Studies, Diversity and Teaching, Diversity and Research, Diversity and International Affairs, Diversity and Human Resources, Open Topic Table Diversity and (...). Along guiding questions, important impulses for BOKU can be discussed and ideas for measures can be contributed.

Moderation Gabriele Bargehr, DSA.in, MSc

Exchange and Networking After the content-related exchange, there will be time for further exchange over snacks and DJ sounds.

Foto Gallery World-Café – Diversitätsstrategie BOKU

zusammengefügter Holzstern und Schachtel mit einzelnen Holzteilen

zwei Hände, die einen zusammengefügten Holzstern halten

One of the first measures implemented

As a first measure within the framework of the diversity strategy, a recommendation for language use at BOKU was developed. The recommendation is available as a short and long version in German and English, find more information here.

Accompanying formats such as discussion forums and introductory workshops on diversity-sensitive language are offered regularly. For more information check our website.

Many elements, bright colors and the possibility of variable composition, the diversity star symbolizes diversity of perspective, mobility and transformation.

New (color) spaces emerge through the overlapping of the color spectrum and illustrates the importance of the intersection and interaction of the individual parts. Only the combination enables something new to emerge, only through the involvement of all individual parts can the overall work succeed.