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THE EMPLOYEE PORTAL

In 2024, it will still be necessary to close various areas and roads as part of EK2020.

1st section: Heizungstrasse between buildings 21 / 21.1 / 19 (expected Nov. 23 - Feb. 24)
1.1 Impairments
- Complete closure to car traffic in the area of the vehicle fleet (Building 21 / 21.1)
- Closure of the intersection of buildings 19 / 21 / 16 / 15 to integrate building 19
1.2 Securing
- Fire department access at building 20 - rear entrance
- Delivery to building 19 - south/east side

2nd section: Heating street building 15 (incl. 15.1/2) (expected Jan. 24 - Apr. 24)
2.1 Impairments
- Routing in street between buildings 16 and 15, complete closure for parking vehicles, partial closure for deliveries
- Partial closure of areas in the inner courtyard of building 15
2.2 Safeguarding
- Fire department access and entrances to buildings 15 and 16
- Keeping the intersection of buildings 14 / 15 / 12 / 16 clear
- Securing delivery to building 16 nitrogen tank

3rd section: Heating street building 14 (incl. 14.1-3) to building 04 Rectorate (expected Apr. 24 - Sep. 24)
3.1 Impairments
- Routing in street between buildings 14 and 13, complete closure for parking vehicles, partial closure for deliveries
- Impairments to the use of building 14.3
- Partial closure of areas in the inner courtyard of building 14
- Partial closure of intersection area of buildings 14 / 15 / 16 / 12
- Partial closure of intersection area in front of buildings 04 / 05 / 13
3.2 Securing
- Fire department access and entrances to buildings 16 West, 14 and 13
- At least one of the above-mentioned intersections must be kept clear to secure the fire department access routes
- Securing deliveries to building 14
- Securing deliveries to buildings 12 and 13

4th section: Heating and cooling line building 14 / 15 and west of building 16 (expected Feb. 24 - Dec. 24)
4.1 Impairments
- Routing in road between buildings 15 / 14, complete closure for car traffic
- Partial closure in the area of the intersection of buildings 14 / 15 / 16
- Partial closure (half-sided road closure) in the area west of building 16, complete closure of all parking spaces
4.2 Securing
- Fire department access north to the entrances to buildings 14-East and 15-West
- Fire department access to buildings 14 / 15 / 16

Due to incalculable circumstances, there may be temporal and local adjustments in the process.

Get out your running shoes, pump up your bike, put on your swimming cap and off you go, because 2024 will be sporty again. To make sure you don't miss any of the events and that you have time for physical exercise, movement and a relaxed get-together with colleagues in addition to all your work appointments, make a note of the following dates in your calendar right away. (All links lead to German-language pages.)

OVGU high-rise run

April 24, 2024

This year marks the 25th edition of the high-rise run. As always, the 14 floors of the CAMPUS TOWER will be climbed. All information about the run and registration

Photo: Jana Dünnhaupt

Academic Bicycle Challenge (ABC)

June 2024

For the 5th time, the university is once again taking part in the ABC, the international bicycle competition for universities. Both students and employees can pedal for a month and collect as many bicycle kilometers as possible for OVGU. In addition to the sporting commitment, the contribution to environmental and climate protection always counts here. The results from previous years.

University dragon boat race

June 13, 2024

After a break of several years, the university dragon boat open starts again in June. The various teams from the university and Magdeburg-Stendal University of Applied Sciences will compete against each other on Salbker See II. Registration is now open. All information and the conditions of participation

Uni Triathlon

June 19, 2024

On June 19, the 35th edition of the Uni Triathlon will start at Lake Barleber See. With 800 m swimming, 20 km cycling and 5 km running, participants can put their performance to the test. Around 300 to 400 athletes take part every year. This makes the Uni-Triathlon one of the most popular triathlon and sporting events in Saxony-Anhalt and eastern Germany. Registration has been open since February 1, 2024.

Photo: Company health management

Company Relay EVENT

June 27, 2024

With the support of the university, teams of 5 students and employees can once again take part in the 5 x 3 km run at the Company Relay EVENT 2024 in the Elbauenpark. In addition to the ranking of all participating companies, a university ranking with its own award ceremony will take place again this year.
Please note:
Participation in the digital company relay is not planned this year with central support from the university. After the Corona pandemic, we want to focus again primarily on doing sports together and coming together in presence

Magdeburg Marathon

October 20, 2024

For the 20th anniversary of the Magdeburg Marathon, Magdeburg's universities will also be taking part for the first time. In the form of a 4-team mini-marathon with a running distance of 4.2 km as a team, university members can run together with colleagues, fellow students or even their family or flatmates. There is also financial support from the university for participation in the 10 km, half and full marathon course as well as a supporting program on site.
You will soon find more information on the website of the University Sports Center.

How much greenhouse gas does our university produce? How can OVGU become climate-neutral by 2030? Which paths lead to this goal and how can the transformation be shaped? These are just some of the questions that Climate Protection Manager André Göldenboth is asking himself. He has been at the university since October 2023 and will be developing an integrated climate protection concept for our university over the next two years with funding from the National Climate Initiative. The process and systems engineer is primarily concerned with calculating OVGU's greenhouse gas emissions and deriving measures to reduce them. To this end, he will take a close look at the framework conditions and the structure of the complex Otto von Guericke University system - from the technical, often very energy-intensive equipment in the laboratories, to energy consumption, the use of various energy sources for heat, electricity and fuel supply, to the mobility behavior of employees on their way to work or on business trips. A greenhouse gas balance sheet will be available in the summer, which will be used as a template for a standardized procedure to map changes in greenhouse gas emissions in the future.

That is already the theoretical foundation, says André Göldenboth. Building on this, the climate protection manager will then identify potentials and scenarios to achieve the goal of net greenhouse gas neutrality confirmed by the Senate. The end result will be a catalog of measures - André Göldenboth calls it the heart of the climate protection concept. Measures are to be identified and prioritized in all relevant fields of action.

"Our university already has many processes in place in the area of climate protection. For example, the Senate Climate Commission and its working groups with a wide range of specialist expertise. The KlimaPlanReal research project to strengthen and accelerate the transformation towards climate neutrality. Progress in campus operations, various initiatives and active members of the university community and beyond," explains the engineer.

"We have had energy monitoring for the individual buildings at the university for years and the Energy Concept 2020, which includes comprehensive energy optimization across the entire campus. And we have a sustainability strategy at OVGU and a sustainability office to which I am assigned." All of this provides him with solid data and a basis for the climate protection concept. For him, it is a privilege to develop the concept for the university where he completed his Master's degree in Sustainable Energy Systems, and there is also specialist expertise in all relevant areas at OVGU that he would like to make use of.

Systemic changes have a greater impact on climate protection

It remains to be carefully weighed up which adjusting screw is effective, which measures can be implemented promptly and how these affect the university's greenhouse gas balance, our environment or life on campus. Some things are very easy to measure, such as electricity or heat consumption, but educational or awareness-raising measures are less so. Everyone can make a personal contribution to climate protection, but the greatest impact is achieved with systemic changes. And for anyone interested in climate change or the OVGU's climate protection concept, the climate protection manager is always available in his office in Building 18, Room 313.

In the years following the creation of the concept, the climate protection concept must be made permanent. André Göldenboth knows that this is no less important a task: "It's not enough to draw up a concept that then collects dust in some drawer. It should be alive, constantly developed and adapted and ensure a systematic approach.

Active members of work package 8 from all nine EU GREEN member universities met for staff week at the Atlantic Technical University in Ireland. (Photo: private)

The staff week at the Atlantic Technical University in Ireland brought new ideas and plenty of motivation for the work in the EU GREEN university alliance for our employees Hanna Astafan, Ian Averkamp, Katrin Burgmann, Magnus Gottl and Juliane Vopel. Workshops, presentations, tours and discussions focused on a sustainable and healthy campus, the topic of EU GREEN work package 8. Active members of all nine EU GREEN member universities exchanged views on the current situation at their home universities and discussed opportunities for cooperation. They highlighted both successful initiatives and difficulties in project work. Katrin Burgmann experienced four days of intensive work, exchange and networking with many personal encounters. Ines Perl spoke to her about her impressions.

You spent a staff week at the Atlantic Technical University in Ireland. What brought you to Ireland?

My involvement in the EU GREEN university alliance, of which OVGU is a member. Since February 2023, I have been volunteering in work package 8 on designing a sustainable and liveable campus. We had a working group meeting at the Atlantic Technological University (ATU) in Ireland, which is one of our partners in EU GREEN.

Let's take another step back: what is a work package and what does work package 8 deal with?

EU GREEN links the topics of teaching, research, campus life, diversity and sustainability in 9 work packages. Work package 8, entitled "Building a truly sustainable campus", essentially pursues 5 objectives. The first is to develop an EU-GREEN campus identity and to positively influence the 17 UN sustainability goals through changes in behavior. The commitment of university members and citizens in the region to ecological and civil society challenges is also to be promoted. The goals also include creating conditions for personal growth and community collaboration for sustainability, as well as creating a sense of belonging among students and staff. Last but not least, healthy, inclusive, sustainable and humane workplaces are a goal.

The EU GREEN work packages (Graphic: Astrid Sauer)

Who can contribute to the work packages?

Every employee and student can get involved. EU GREEN thrives on cooperation, on the experience and skills of everyone involved in the project. We meet once a month in digital meetings with the project partners from the 8 other EU GREEN universities. At the meetings, we discuss tasks that are to be carried out locally at the universities and jointly within the university alliance. So far, we are still in the planning and development phase for the various working groups that will implement the measures discussed in the future.

Then, for example, there are the "staff weeks" at one of the project partners.

Like the meeting in Ireland?

Yes, almost 40 project participants from the University Alliance who are involved in work package 8 met there. These were employees, teachers and students from Spain, Sweden, Italy, Poland, France, Portugal, Romania, Ireland and us from Germany.

What challenges did you experience in connection with your trip?

Firstly, the organization of the trip was challenging. I had never been to Ireland before. But the ATU team helped us a lot, finding suitable hotels and bus connections and sending a bus to pick us up at the airport.

On the other hand, planning my regular work tasks in the Media, Communication and Marketing department at OVGU during the time I was away was challenging. I was often answering emails in the evenings. I'm involved with EU GREEN alongside my actual job.

What was the business language and how did you get on with it?

English was the business language and communication worked very well. On the very first day, all delegations were given a small EU flag. Anyone who didn't understand something was allowed to wave it - that was a great idea. During a presentation by an Irish contact person, all the EU flags were waving: she simply spoke far too quickly.

What did you and the other staff week participants focus on during your meeting in Ireland?

Before the staff week, each university wrote an action plan outlining the local conditions and challenges for designing a sustainable campus. In joint workshops, we discussed the differences and compiled measures on how to meet the challenges. For the most part, this was done in the traditional way with pinboards and flipcharts. I thought it was great that a graphic designer created a picture with the workshop content during one of the workshops. That was a completely different way of summarizing the content.

On site, we were shown what offers and projects there are in the area of health management for employees and students at ATU. These contribute significantly to a liveable campus. At the Organic Center, a sustainable agricultural business, we found out how it has an impact on the local community.

Visit to the Organic Center, a sustainable farm. (Photo: private)

Were there opportunities to network with colleagues from other institutions?

During the entire staff week, there was a very friendly and collegial atmosphere and there were opportunities to exchange contact details during the workshops or on joint excursions and meals. Now I have direct contacts, I know the person and not just the name, I know who I can call and who deals with which topic.

What do you take away from the meeting for your daily work, or in general?

Looking beyond the boundaries of my day-to-day work. I got to know new people and learned how they approach tasks.

I was able to practise my language skills in an international environment, which will certainly be very helpful in future when dealing with international students.

And I was very impressed by how hospitable our hosts were and I am absolutely thrilled by how beautiful Ireland is!

The "staff week" was a prelude - what's next?

In preparation for the staff week in Ireland, a small working group was formed at OVGU, which is now continuing to work together.We will continue to meet regularly in the future and discuss the next steps. At the moment, we are developing ideas for a sustainable and liveable campus in order to derive concrete measures from them. The best way to do this is with as many members of the university community as possible: a World Café on campus design will be held on April 17. Our working group will be involved there. All interested members of the university are cordially invited to join us in gathering ideas for the sustainable design of a liveable campus.

 
Thank you for talking to us.

About EU GREEN

EU GREEN is one of 51 existing university alliances involving around 430 higher education institutions from 35 countries across Europe. In 2023, the EU selected 23 existing European University Alliances from 65 applications for further funding, and 7 new alliances with up to ten new universities each were added.In the current selection, German universities are the frontrunners across Europe with 29 participations. University alliances such as EU GREEN are partnerships that are intended to be a model for "universities of the future". Those institutions that participate in partnerships will have priority access to funding for strategic projects in the future. (as of 11/2023)

Doctoral students are an important pillar of research, teaching and continuing education. Their mouthpiece is the doctoral student representation. Ina Wagner reports on their tasks, goals and plans. She is a doctoral candidate at the Faculty of Human Sciences and a member of the doctoral student representatives.

What are the general tasks of the doctoral student representatives?

The doctoral student representation is an interest group. It supports doctoral candidates in their concerns and establishes interdisciplinary and inter-faculty exchange. Its members also consult with each other in order to make recommendations to university bodies. It participates in the Council of the Graduate Academy of Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg and attends the meetings of the Senate and the Faculty Councils in an advisory capacity. For example, it is given the opportunity to comment on drafts of doctoral regulations before a decision is made.

How are the doctoral student representatives elected?

The election takes place once a year together with the Faculty Council and Senate elections. Doctoral candidates who are admitted and registered as doctoral candidates by the faculty can vote and stand for election. Two doctoral student representatives can be elected per faculty, although additional representations are possible.

What are the aims of the doctoral student representation?

The doctoral student representation based on the Higher Education Act of the state of Saxony-Anhalt (Section 18 (6)) is still in its infancy. Our priority is therefore to establish and implement the introduced legal basis by establishing concrete associations, activities and formats.
In doing so, we would initially like to reach as many doctoral candidates as possible within and outside the faculties and network with each other according to their wishes. Our aim is to improve the conditions for doctoral candidates, bring them together and promote their co-determination in university policy. Our aim is for doctoral students at Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg to be better informed, involved and represented and to support solidarity with each other - be it on a professional, day-to-day, university policy or bureaucratic level. This also applies to students who are not registered or who are external. The joint event on April 24, 2024, for example, is intended for this purpose. It is open to doctoral students from all faculties.

How are doctoral candidates informed about updates and can exchange information?

Doctoral students can address their concerns to the members of their faculty or to the doctoral student representatives in general. For further updates, there are faculty-specific mailing lists, for example. Non-registered or external doctoral candidates can also contact the respective representatives to register. On the website you will find all doctoral student representatives of the faculties, news, contact and networking opportunities as well as information on the legal basis.

Thank you for the interview.