The aims of the “Excellence Initiative” policy include:

• improving the global attractiveness and rankings of the “excellent” universities
• sustainable structural change in universities, while maintaining the Humboldtian principles that excellent teaching is based on excellent research and of the freedom of research   
• the creation of thousands of high quality jobs
• developing the specialists, experts and executives of tomorrow
• improving the contribution of universities to innovation in business and industry
• demonstrating how science supports society

Yet according to recent OECD data, Germany still has a relatively low proportion of university graduates (29%) compared to Australia with almost 40%.

Hence the question, is Germany aiming for an elite system or an egalitarian one and can both be achieved simultaneously with the right policies in place?

Professor Joybrato Mukherjee was elected President of the Justus Liebig University (JLU) in Giessen, Germany, in July 2009. In January 2012 he took on the role of Vice-President of the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD).
At 38 Professor Mukherjee is Germany’s youngest university president. Since 2008 he has been part of the university’s executive board and the university’s Vice- President for Teaching and Learning. In 2003 he joined JLU Giessen as Professor of English Linguistics. From 2004 to 2008 he was Vice-Dean for the Faculty of Language, Literature and Culture and an elected member of the university Senate from 2005 to 2008. After studying English, Biology and Education at the RWTH University in Aachen, he taught English linguistics at Bonn University from 2000 to 2003. Professor Mukherjee’s research interests include computer-based corpus linguistics, English syntax and postcolonial Englishes. He is a member of the International Graduate Centre for the Study of Culture and the Centre for Media and Interactivity and participates in a variety of international research projects and collaborations.

This event is co-hosted by the Group of Eight Universities, the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany and the ANU Centre for European Studies.

See:From egalitarian to elite and back: Recent policy shifts in higher education in Germany flyer.

Please, RSVP for this event to europe@anu.edu.au by Tuesday 4 September 2012.