DFG Projekte und zusätzliche Forschungsfreisemester

Manchmal sind Deutsche päpstlicher als der Papst. Mit Verlaub.

Kleine Erklärung. Als gewählter Fachkollegiat des Fachkollegiums „Wirtschaftswissenschaften“ der Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) nehme ich seit drei Jahren an den Förderentscheidungen im Bereich Wirtschaftswissenschaften teil. Ich habe eine Menge individuelle Forschungsprojekte gesehen (sogenannten „Sachbeihilfen“), und ich habe an den Entscheidungen für mehrere größere Forschungsverbünde teilgenommen. Meine Amtszeit geht langsam zu Ende, und da ich jetzt in der Schweiz tätig bin, stehe ich nicht zur Wiederwahl.

Musings on the German Universities’ “Chair System”

As a tenured full professor in Germany, for the last twelve years (and change) I have also been a “Chair holder” in the famous and infamous “Chair system” of German universities, where the power rests on the Chairs and not on the departments. That is, even if there is a Department of X, the actual administrative unit is the “Chair” (somehow, I feel that I have to capitalize that), where a single full professor has near-absolute power over a few assistants, a part-time secretary, and a modest research budget. The “Department” is then just a loose coalition of Chairs, which sometimes cooperate with each other. The most-prominent alternative is the actual department structure, where professors are colleagues within a larger unit, with hiring committees, common budgets, organized supervision of Ph.D. students, and front offices with shared administrative personnel.

Giving up the Chair’s Secretary

Note: I am in the process of leaving the German University system. This is the first of a series of posts recapitulating on the experience, in no particular order, to be written as the mood strikes and the opportunity arises.

A German university (full) professor and chair holder is typically endowed with his own secretary. Since I became a chair holder in Germany over twelve years ago (I am about to leave the system right now), I’ve had one, or rather a succession thereof. But, when the last one resigned, I gave up the position, and I have been without ever since. And, I have to say, this was an improvement for my research group.