New Trust Foundation Supports Equal Opportunities at the University

The promotion of equal opportunities is a high priority at the University of Bremen. A new trust foundation wants to support this. Dr. Hella and Bernhard Baumeister want to contribute to the breaking down of structural disadvantages in this way.

The Baumeister Foundation for Equal Opportunities is now the sixth trust foundation under the umbrella of the University of Bremen Foundation. “We are very pleased that we are receiving support in this important area with this new trust foundation,” says the chairperson of the university foundation and Director of Finance and Administration at the university, Frauke Meyer. The issue of equal opportunities is of great significance at the University of Bremen. This is why at an early stage, the university service and consultation structures were created in such a way to establish support offers for various career levels and facilitate professorships for gender research. In a national comparison, the university is above the national average (26 percent) with its proportion of female professors (around 30 percent).

Promotion of Research Projects and Women

The Baumeister Foundation for Equal Opportunities will mainly support teaching and research in the fields of gender, the future of work, and social security. Additionally, the foundation wants to help female students and early-career researchers. “For my husband and I, it is especially those who are faced with particularly difficult circumstances, for example due to obligations to provide childcare or care for others, that we wish to focus on,” says Hella Baumeister. In addition to this, students of the so-called “first generation” with parents that do not have an academic qualification will also profit.

Why Is Equal Opportunities Important for the Foundation?

“Access to academic education is one of the central requirements for us in order to be able to keep up with the changed, increased demands of a digitalized society and / or digitalized economy,” says Hella Baumeister, who studied at the University of Bremen. Academization of further career fields is becoming apparent already. “However, not all young people who have what it takes have the same opportunities and possibilities.” This is what the foundation wants to change.

Why Establish a Foundation at the University of Bremen?

“The University of Bremen is a good asset for Bremen State, of that I am sure,” states Hella Baumeister. Since its establishment 50 years ago, the connection to practical work and societal responsibility have been important aims of the University of Bremen. “My degree at the end of the 1970s in interdisciplinary projects and with the concept of research-based learning was very enriching for me.” Working for several years on various projects in job market research at the university also formed the foundations for her successful career.

Competent Support from the University Foundation

The couple decided on the university foundation as the trustee as they received competent advice and accompaniment there, explains Hella Baumeister. “The university’s foundation takes on all of the work-intensive management and accounting tasks so that my husband and I can focus our attention on the realization of our support goals.” The fact that the foundation received quality certification for its good management of trust foundations from the Association of German Foundations was confirmation for the couple that they made the right choice.

About Family Baumeister

After an initial vocational apprenticeship in the hospitality industry and working for a hotel and travel management office for many years, Dr. Hella Baumeister completed a degree in law and social sciences at the University of Bremen in the 1970s. Subsequently, the social scientist held a role as a scientific assistant at the university for ten years in the field of career market research. Between 1991 and 2006, Hella Baumeister worked as a consultant for job market and employment policy for Bremen Chamber of Labour.

Bernhard Baumeister was a technical business economist and worked for Bremen’s largest building society Gewoba for many years. He also held the role of staff council chair there. He was additionally chair of the HBV trade union and president of Bremen Chamber of Employees (1990-1995). Since the end of his career, he has carried out voluntary work for the SES (Senior Expert Service) Vera project. His tasks there include supervising apprentices in order to stop them dropping out from the training.

The University of Bremen Foundation and its Make a Donation, Create Knowledge Initiative

The University of Bremen Foundation is active itself as a charitable foundation and also manages six trust foundations. The Make a Donation, Create Knowledge initiative, which marks the university’s 50th birthday, provides information about the motivation and experiences of grantors and those who are sponsored online, in podcasts, at events, and with a book that will come out in the fall.