As part of its continuing education seminar series on teaching quality for its own professors, SZTU's College of Pharmacy invited Holger Haldenwang, dean of SZTU Business School, to present aspects of the highly successful German UAS education system. 

Similarities with SZTU as well as differences to the German system were presented. For example, while the barriers to entry to the university, the duration of studies and the evaluation of professors by students are relatively similar, there are significant differences in the hiring of professors (in Germany, the vast majority of professors have the status of civil servants and are quasi-tenured) and also in their professional promotion.

In Germany, there are virtually only two types of professorial titles: Junior professors, which, however, play no role at UAS, and full professors, who are paid differently according to commitment and performance. The focus is on teaching and good, practice-oriented teaching as well as cooperation with companies. And mandatory for all students is a minimum 20-week internship in companies or institutions outside the university.

The system of promotion from assistant- to associate- to full professor, which is more similar to the Anglo-American tenure track system, with an essential criterion of publication of articles in SSCI papers, plays almost no role at the German UAS. And the research that is undoubtedly available tends to focus on R&D problems of companies or issues of institutions.

For this reason, Professor Holger Haldenwang suggested that this aspect of cooperation with companies and the good teaching performance of the professors should be given at least as much weight as the publication of articles when they are promoted. The SZTU stands also for the Employability of the students and the successful co-operation with enterprises, in order to support the development of the Greater bay Hong Kong, Macau Guangdong area lastingly with.

After the interesting and committed presentation by Holger Haldenwang, a lively discussion was held on the possibilities of taking the above-mentioned criteria into account in the existing SZTU promotion system.

Text：Holger Haldenwang