
Department for Equity and Diversity
You're exactly where you're meant to be.

“Social mobility through education is one of the most important promises of our society. A university that is sensitive to diversity creates greater equality of opportunity while also fostering innovation, academic excellence, and social cohesion.”
Objectives and responsibilities of our department
- promote and utilise the potential of all university members in order to make a contribution to educational equity and excellence
- realise equal opportunities by designing structural framework conditions and individual behaviour in such a way that discrimination can be counteracted and equal access and success opportunities can be made possible for all HHN members
- utilise the innovative potential of approaches from the areas of equality and diversity management in order to make a contribution to excellent teaching and research
Diversity at HHN stands for the variety of people who come together every day at our university to learn, teach, work and research together. As the Department for Equality and Diversity, we support the university in creating an equal opportunities, open-minded and discrimination-sensitive environment in which diversity is valued and recognised as potential. We focus in particular on the following dimensions, which we address using an intersectional approach:
- social background
- gender
- religion / world view
- care work
- Disability / impairment
- ethnicity
- sexual diversity
- age
The resulting areas of responsibility are
- gender equality
- anti-racism work
- supporting religious diversity
- implementing the best possible accessibility for the inclusion of people with disabilities/impairments
- shaping Queer@HHN
- promoting educational equality and supporting first-time graduates
- prevention of adultism and age discrimination
- family equality with consideration of parenting and care responsibilities
- Organisational development: We develop specific structures, processes and concepts to promote equal opportunities, enable participation and prevent discrimination.
- Analyses and reports: We keep an eye on equality and other diversity goals and recognise the need for action.
- Advice: We offer various advisory and support services, e.g. the family service, mentoring programmes or help with discrimination and bullying.
- Implementation of specific projects: We develop and implement innovative projects and measures in this area.
- Specialist support: We help other departments at the university to implement equality and diversity issues in their area of work.
The Department for Equity and Diversity is a department within the Prorectorate for International Affairs and Diversity. We work closely with the Gender Equality Officer, the Equal Opportunities Officer, the representatives against discrimination and bullying as well as the representative body for severely disabled people. Our work is supported by the Senate Commission on Equity and Diversity and the Family Working Group.
Offers and Projects
Click here to explore our topics and initiatives. You’ll find relevant content and resources organised around the diversity dimensions that form the focus of our work.
Events & News 2025 / 2026 (German only)
Current Call for Applications
Ursuala Uda Lapp PhD Scholarship for female PhD students
Our Team of the Department for Equity and Diversity
Contact persons for the individual departments and subject areas



WoMENT Career Development Programme and FutureFem Hub













