Prototype at colleges: presidents are mostly old white men

The typical leadership of a public college is male, 57 years old, born in office and in West Germany for seven years. This is shown by an analysis by the Center for Higher Education Development (CHE). The CVs of 101 current presidents of colleges and universities of applied sciences (HAW) were evaluated.

Women are still under-represented in the management: Only one in five universities has a president. East Germans and migrants are even more in the minority: not even one in ten university leaders was born in East Germany, only two of the leaders come from abroad.

Also carpenter or gardener in management positions

By contrast, there is more diversity in the professional biography. A high practical relevance is typical in the education of FH managers, says study leader Isabel Roessler. "Every eighth HAW-management has completed an apprenticeship before studying." Unlike the university management, there are also skilled carpenters or gardeners among the university management. "

Earlier this year, CHE had already presented the prototype of the German president. The lines at the universities were in terms of gender equality minimally better positioned: The examined universities were 25 percent women before.

Inequality, however, already starts with the professorships - both at polytechnics and at universities. This has recently shown a survey by the educational provider WBS. At the 44 largest universities in Germany, therefore, only every fourth chair is occupied by a professor.