Focus on resilience: University of Siegen hosts annual conference of Career Services
From left to right: Sabine Halling, Career Center University of Hanover/csnd; Claas Hinrichs, Career Service University of Bayreuth/csnd; Marcellus Menke, Head of Career Service University of Siegen, Physics Professor Dr. Alexander Lenz, Dr. Marion Lenz, Markus Haubold, Career Service West Saxon University of Applied Sciences Zwickau/csnd; Anna Hölscher, Career Service Münster University of Applied Sciences/csnd.
Rethinking campus life: creating space for encounters
How can resilience be strengthened at different levels? This question was the focus of the annual conference of the Career Service Network Germany at the Unteres Schloss campus of the University of Siegen. The participants looked at students and graduates, as well as career service employees themselves and the university system as a whole.
Together, the aim was to develop ideas for sustainable and resilient career service work.
Siegen University Rector Prof. Dr. Stefanie Reese welcomed the participants to the new lecture hall center: "The topic of 'resilience' is highly topical in today's world. In addition to imparting specialist expertise, it is also the task of universities to support young people in their personal development. They accompany students on their way into professional life, which is a responsible task," said Prof. Reese.
The opening event focused on a guest lecture by Professor of Physics and spokesperson for the "Color meets Flavor" Cluster of Excellence, Prof. Dr. Alexander Lenz. He shed light on the topic of resilience from a physical perspective - including an acrobatic show interlude with his wife Dr. Marion Lenz. Afterwards, composer Susanne Hardt set the mood for the rest of the conference program with an interactive musical interlude.
The three-day event offered a varied program of workshops and lectures. In addition to contributions from career services practitioners, external experts - including from the field of resilience research - also enriched the conference. Insights into projects and concepts from various disciplines such as IT, human computer interaction, art and music illustrated the breadth of the topic and opened up new perspectives for day-to-day work.
The University of Siegen used the conference to present its own approaches and projects in the field of career services and student support and to actively participate in the professional exchange. "The ability to acquire resilience is a key skill in a changing world - for students as well as for universities and their staff," emphasized Marcellus Menke, Head of the Siegen Career Service and organizer of the conference. "The conference showed how important it is to exchange ideas with colleagues and to jointly develop concepts for future-oriented career service work."
The annual conference of the csnd is regarded as a central platform for the professionalization and networking of career service institutions at German universities. With over 200 member institutions, the network is committed to providing students with the best possible support in their transition to a career and to further developing innovative services.
