Mission and mission statement

Mission

The Viadrina was founded in 1991 as a European university with a special mission. It deliberately restricts itself to three disciplines in the broader sense of the humanities (law, economics, culture). It sees itself as a reform university, realising interdisciplinarity and internationality in research and teaching to a particular degree, promoting German-Polish understanding and working towards pan-European integration. It also fulfils its responsibility to society through its commitment to the regional development of East Brandenburg and the German-Polish interlinked region on both sides of the Oder.

 

Mission statement

The Viadrina as a European University

The Viadrina takes its name seriously. It is committed to a democratic, open and diverse European society, which is a prerequisite for free, critical and sustainable research and teaching. We aim to make research and teaching socially relevant and act as a centre for critical and productive engagement with European society. We are convinced that an active dialogue based on scientific knowledge and a democratic attitude is of great importance, especially on controversial social issues when it is at its most difficult. The Viadrina cultivates a nuanced and reflective understanding of Europe, which characterises its research and teaching focus in a specific way. Viadrina understands Europe not only as a defined territorial, economic or cultural unit, but also as a diverse and inextricably interwoven space of interpretation and action. We also view borders as fluid and multidimensional phenomena and focus on internal diversity, transformation processes and change. We therefore do not see the Oder as a border river, but as a connecting element of our German-Polish campus, which symbolises our understanding of Europe: Europe can only be understood as part of the world and always includes the western and eastern halves of the European continent. We see successful communication and cooperation within Europe as a vital requirement for the realisation of the European idea. We consider the specific interest in and engagement with Eastern Europe to be a central part of our mission as a European university.

Universitas Viadrina: The University as a special social community

The Viadrina sees itself as a modern universitas. It places the idea of the university as a special social community at the centre of its institutional culture and its understanding of study, teaching, research and exchange. It is convinced that the best ideas can only be generated through collective and interactive thinking and action. Our core values include respectful communication, a trusting relationship, participative and transparent decision-making processes as well as practised family friendliness, diversity sensitivity and equal opportunities. They help to ensure that all members of universitas identify with it, feel a sense of belonging and are committed to its development. We reject all forms of discrimination and actively pursue the goal of being a non-discriminatory institution that welcomes and protects people in their diversity in the university community. As conflicts are inherent to the interaction of people, Viadrina stands for a self-confident and interest-orientated management of conflicts, both within the institution and in its impact on society.

Research: Viadrina as a place of free science in Europe

The Viadrina creates knowledge through innovative research based on intrinsic motivation and unrestricted curiosity, but also while being aware of the responsibility to shape a better world and a peaceful and cooperative European future in a global context. Hence, questions about the future of coexistence in Europe and the associated transformation efforts and opportunities are at the centre of our research. The freedom of research is an indispensable and inspiring starting point for our self-conception, which is characterised by a generally reflective attitude. We are convinced that scientific problems and social challenges can be tackled most successfully through research that does not allow itself to be restricted by disciplinary traditions, crosses disciplinary boundaries and works in collaborative forms.

Studying and teaching: Viadrina as an individualised and challenging place to study

At the Viadrina, studying and teaching are characterised by the interplay between the development of analytical skills and of action skills both within and outside academia. We aim to foster our students’ (self-)educational and cognitive processes and enable them to orientate themselves and reflect critically on the complex world. To ensure this, Viadrina offers a learning environment that challenges students intellectually and provides individualised support. It constantly develops its teaching methods and learning support programmes to meet the needs of students, proactively phrasing specific future skills and integrating these into its curricula and programmes. In order to do that, we have created spatial structures that enable our teaching staff and students to teach and learn collaboratively and individually on campus.

Internationality: Viadrina as an international and multilingual university

Viadrina is an international institution that welcomes students and researchers from all over the world in a multilingual everyday culture. Beyond everyday culture, we consider multilingualism to be an important resource for strengthening ways of approaching research and teaching from different angles at the same time. We promote the international mobility of all university members, foster cross-border research cooperation and are part of renowned academic networks in Europe and worldwide. Viadrina sees itself as a place where academic exchange with partners in Eastern Europe is of particular importance.

City and region: Viadrina as an international university in the German-Polish border region

Viadrina is an integral part of the twin city of Frankfurt (Oder) - Słubice, the German-Polish border region and sees itself as part of the Berlin metropolitan region. It considers itself to be connected with its surroundings on both sides of the Oder and the Poznań metropolitan region through its appreciation of proactive change. We promote the development of the city and region by training highly qualified graduates, imparting scientific knowledge and living international diversity. We are actively and uncompromisingly committed to a free, open and democratic society - both inside and outside the university. We stand for public spaces open to dialogue in which we engage with the society of the city and region, even on controversial topics. Frankfurt (Oder) - Słubice, as a comparatively small urban space characterised specifically by its border location fascinates us- it is open to new ideas and offers great opportunities for exchange and joint further development.