Responsibility, equal opportunities and sustainability at the WiSo
Interview with First Vice Dean Prof. Dr Martina Fuchs, Sustainability Officer at the WiSo Faculty
It is about the course we set for the Faculty going forward.
With her responsibilities within the Managing Board, Prof. Dr Martina Fuchs oversees key future-oriented areas of the WiSo Faculty: equal opportunities, anti-discrimination and sustainability. In the interview, she explains how these themes are being strategically embedded within the faculty and why they extend far beyond individual measures. It becomes clear that she is committed to closely linking academic excellence, societal responsibility and institutional development.
Professor Fuchs, you have taken on new responsibilities within the Managing Board. What does this role mean to you personally?
These issues are central both to our society and, very concretely, to our university and our Faculty. This year, we are celebrating the 125th anniversary of WiSo. It is a special occasion to once again seek answers to the question of where we are heading in the future – guided by the principles of excellent research, outstanding teaching, and good working and study conditions.
How do you see your role in relation to the Faculty and its departments?
We work within the Managing Board in a collaborative, structured and division-of-labour-based manner towards these goals. In doing so, we involve the various stakeholder groups, including student and staff representatives within our Faculty, and coordinate closely with the Pro-Rectorates. We are also in regular exchange with the officers responsible for equal opportunities, inclusion and sustainability at both Rectorate and WiSo Faculty level.
Equal opportunities need to be anchored in institutional structures.
The 2025–2029 development plan contains numerous measures to promote equal opportunities. What does this plan specifically include?
The University of Cologne’s development plan further specifies equal opportunities, anti-discrimination and gender equality for all Faculties. It covers the areas of gender equality, family awareness, educational equity, inclusion, critical perspectives on racism and antisemitism, anti-discrimination, as well as gender and queer studies, and the structural embedding of these fields of action. These areas are translated into projects and measures that each Faculty identifies and formulates for itself, depending on its specific requirements.
And what does this mean in concrete terms for the WiSo Faculty?
One key objective has been, and continues to be, increasing the proportion of female professors in our faculty. Our academic staff is still predominantly male. For this reason, we actively seek out female candidates in recruitment processes and approach them directly. Our equal opportunities officers are involved in all appointment procedures and have a say; the central equal opportunities officer can, if necessary, exercise a veto.
Promoting female academics is not only important in order to address discrimination within academia. Female professors also serve as important role models for early-career researchers. Such role models are therefore crucial.
"My Impract ist to inspire humans developing sustainable ideas for themselves and their society."
Jean-Patrick,
B.Sc. Management, Economics and Social Sciences
How does exchange on these topics take place?
I have held various discussions with staff and student representatives, and this exchange will continue. There are also forums such as the “Task Force Gender and Diversity”. In addition, we offer workshops, for example on “unconscious bias”, which addresses the fact that we are often influenced by unconscious prejudices that affect our thinking and decision-making. There are, therefore, largely hidden patterns of thought that do not necessarily correspond to our self-image – for example, the image of oneself as an open-minded and fair-minded person who stands up for others. However, it is possible to learn to reflect on this and, in doing so, further develop one’s own personality.
Sustainability means thinking about future generations as well.
Where do you start concretely within the WiSo Faculty?
As with the topic of equal opportunities, I build on existing activities. In particular, my colleague Gerold Gnau, Managing Director of the WiSo faculty, has already initiated and implemented important measures. One example is maintaining close relations with the Pro-Rectorate for Sustainability, and another is the WiSo Sustainability Days.
Another initiative is the WiSo Sustainability Award, which is intended to recognise outstanding publications by early-career researchers at our Faculty.
What are the objectives of this award?
The selection of publications is based on three criteria: relevance to sustainability, academic innovativeness, and practical relevance. The award is endowed with €5,000. Eligible applicants include all academic staff, i.e. doctoral researchers and postdocs, as well as junior professors in our faculty who have not yet undergone their mid-term evaluation. The award is presented in person at the WiSo Christmas reception.
What other activities are there in the field of sustainability?
Sustainability is strategically embedded within our Faculty and is therefore also part of upcoming accreditation processes, first and foremost the Societal Impact Strategy. The Rectorate is also an important partner in sustainability matters. For example, last semester I gave a talk in the “Sustainability Lunch Talks Series”, and we participate in the “Summer of Sustainability”, which the University of Cologne will host in summer 2026.
It is also worth mentioning that next year, the WiSo Faculty will jointly host the “Forum Sustainability” together with the Pro-Dean for Sustainability.
Responsibility also means critically reflecting on one’s own position.
On the website “Responsibility and Impact” equal opportunities, sustainability and ethics are brought together under a guiding theme. What do you wish to express by this?
Responsibility and awareness of the impact of research and teaching run – depending on the subject matter – throughout the entire research process and are therefore also relevant in many teaching contexts. This is particularly true for disciplines that address questions involving both scientific and real-world problems.
It is important to me to emphasise that responsibility and impact do not, in any way, imply an interference with the freedom of research and teaching. Research and teaching must remain independent of extra-academic interests and committed to the pursuit of truth.
How can students and academics contribute to this?
Researchers, lecturers and students must always take a critical stance towards their subject of inquiry – and towards themselves. Whether consciously or unconsciously, we are always also normatively positioned with regard to equal opportunities and sustainability. It is important that everyone reflects on this and consciously decides on their own ethical and epistemological positioning.
What motivates you personally in your work?
We must address these challenges both societally and academically – and it is possible to improve equal opportunities and sustainability. This awareness shapes my work every day: that change is not only necessary, but also realistically achievable if we pursue it consistently together.
Thank you very much for the interview, dear Professor Fuchs.