Appointing a professor in Brandenburg previously took between twelve and 24 months. In the future, it should be completed within six to twelve months, as the state parliament decided on Wednesday with the amendment to the Higher Education Act. Science Minister Manja Schüle (SPD) called it a “real locational advantage in the competition for the smartest minds in this republic.”
The new regulation goes back to an agreement with the Hasso Plattner Foundation. The Hasso Plattner Institute (HPI) in Potsdam wants to expand a faculty for “Digital Engineering” in cooperation with the university. In return, the state promised faster appointment rights.
The amendment was not uncontroversial. SPD MP Julia Sahi acknowledged concerns from unions, equal opportunity officers, and students that extraordinary appointments could become the norm in the future. But such procedures are intended only for exceptional cases. “Arbitrary appointments based on connections remain excluded,” said Sahi. The AfD abstained from the vote.
Source: www.tagesspiegel.de
