:Bielefeld University
{{short description|Public university in Bielefeld, Germany}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2023}}
{{Infobox university
| name = Bielefeld University
| native_name = Universität Bielefeld
| image_name = Universität Bielefeld Logo.svg
| caption =
| latin_name =
| motto =
| established = {{start date and age|1969|09|5|df=yes}}
| type = Public
| chancellor = Dr. Stephan Becker
| rector = Angelika Epple
| faculty =
| undergrad =
| postgrad =
| doctoral =
| city = Bielefeld
| state = North Rhine-Westphalia
| country = Germany
| coor = {{coord|52|02|16|N|8|29|35|E|display=it|format=dms|region:DE-NW_type:edu}}
| campus =
| former_names =
| affiliations =
| website = {{URL|1=https://www.uni-bielefeld.de/(en)/index.html|2=www.uni-bielefeld.de}}
| logo =
| footnotes = {{cite web|title=Zeittafel zum Aufbau der Universität Bielefeld |url=http://www.uni-bielefeld.de/Universitaet/Ueberblick/Geschichte/zeittafel.html |work=Chronology of the university's development |publisher=Universität Bielefeld |language=de |access-date=13 June 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080620171825/http://www.uni-bielefeld.de/Universitaet/Ueberblick/Geschichte/zeittafel.html |archive-date=20 June 2008 |url-status=live}}{{cite web|title=Rektorat |url=http://www.uni-bielefeld.de/Universitaet/Ueberblick/Organisation/Rektorat/ |work=University board |publisher=Universität Bielefeld |language=de |access-date=13 June 2008}}
| native_name_lang = de
| administrative_staff = 1,100
}}
Bielefeld University ({{langx|de|link=no|Universität Bielefeld}}) is a public university in Bielefeld, Germany. Founded in 1969, it is one of the country's newer universities, and considers itself a "reform" university, following a different style of organization and teaching than the established universities. In particular, the university aims to "re-establish the unity between research and teaching", and so all its faculty teach courses in their area of research. The university also stresses a focus on interdisciplinary research, helped by the architecture, which encloses all faculties in one great structure. It is among the first of the German universities to switch some faculties (e.g. biology) to bachelor's/master's degrees as part of the Bologna process.
Bielefeld University has started an extensive multi-phase modernisation project, which is to be completed by 2025. A total investment of more than 1 billion euros has been planned for this undertaking.{{Cite web|title=Campus Bielefeld: Campus Bielefeld 2025|url=http://www.campus-bielefeld.de/en/campus-bielefeld-2025/|access-date=12 February 2023|website=www.campus-bielefeld.de}}
Campus
The university is located in the west of Bielefeld next to the Teutoburg Forest. The main building, which houses all the faculties and institutes, as well as the large library, is a functional concrete structure, typical of the 1960s. The main building with 154,000 m2 alone is one of the largest structures in Europe.{{cite web|title= Renovation of the University of Bielefeld |url= https://ekvv.uni-bielefeld.de/blog/uniaktuell/entry/mammutaufgabe_modernisierung_der_universität_bielefeld |work= Bielefeld University |publisher= Universität Bielefeld |access-date= 13 April 2020}}
Intercity trains running between Cologne/Bonn and Berlin stop regularly at Bielefeld, and the university can be accessed via city tram (Line 4) in about 10 minutes from the city center—or in about 15 minutes by car. The nearest airport, Paderborn/Lippstadt, is about 50 kilometres southeast of Bielefeld.{{cite web |title=First Contact |url=http://www.uni-bielefeld.de/International/Students/First_Contact/overview.html |publisher=Universität Bielefeld |work=International Students |date=30 July 2007 |access-date=13 June 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071130010602/http://www.uni-bielefeld.de/International/Students/First_Contact/overview.html |archive-date=30 November 2007 }}
=Library=
Bielefeld University Library occupies most of the first floor of the main university building and contains over 2.2 million volumes. It is open every day of the year, from 08:00 until 01:00 Monday to Friday, and from 09:00 to 22:00 during weekends and public holidays.{{cite web|title= Library Profile |url= http://www.ub.uni-bielefeld.de/english/biblio/profil/ |work= Bielefeld University Library |publisher= Universität Bielefeld |access-date= 13 June 2008}}
The library's projects include the development of tools to improve access to electronic resources. It works with commercial system suppliers to meet the needs of academic libraries—collaborations that have resulted in developments such as BASE (Bielefeld Academic Search Engine), by which metadata is collected from scientific repository servers and indexed, along with data from selected web sites and data collections, using the Solr framework.{{cite web|title= About BASE |url= http://base.ub.uni-bielefeld.de/index_english.html |work= Bielefeld Academic Search Engine |publisher= Universität Bielefeld |access-date= 9 September 2013}}
Academic profile
=Central academic institutes=
- Center for Interdisciplinary Research (ZiF)
- Institute for interdisciplinary research on conflict and violence (IKG)
- Center for Interamerican Studies (CIAS)
- [https://www.cebitec.uni-bielefeld.de/ CeBiTec – Center for Biotechnology]
- CITEC – Cognitive Interaction Technology (Center of Excellence)
- Research Institute for Cognition and Robotics (CoR-Lab)
- Interdisciplinary Centre of Women's and Gender Studies
- Institute for the Simulation of Complex Systems (ISKOS)
- Institute of Mathematical Economics (IMW)
- Research Centre for Mathematical Modelling (FSPM)
- Teacher Training Centre (ZfL – in German)
=Oberstufen-Kolleg and Laborschule at the University of Bielefeld=
Since their founding by Hartmut von Hentig in 1974, the laboratory schools Laborschule and Oberstufen-Kolleg have focused on integrating educational research into everyday teaching: school teachers collaborate with university researchers in research projects.{{Cite web |title=Versuchsschulen - Bielefeld University |url=https://www.uni-bielefeld.de/einrichtungen/bised/forschung-entwicklung/inklusion/versuchsschulen/ |access-date=2024-07-09 |website=www.uni-bielefeld.de |language=de}} A research institute at the University corresponds to each school ("Research Unit Laborschule"{{Cite web |title=WE Laborschule - Bielefeld University |url=https://www.uni-bielefeld.de/einrichtungen/bised/forschung-entwicklung/inklusion/versuchsschulen/we-laborschule/ |access-date=2024-07-09 |website=www.uni-bielefeld.de |language=de}} and "Research Unit Oberstufen-Kolleg"{{Cite web |title=WE Oberstufenkolleg - Bielefeld University |url=https://www.uni-bielefeld.de/einrichtungen/bised/forschung-entwicklung/inklusion/versuchsschulen/we-oberstufenkolleg/ |access-date=2024-07-09 |website=www.uni-bielefeld.de |language=de}}).
The Oberstufen-Kolleg has received multiple awards, for example the Robert Bosch Foundation's German School Award in 2010 for its innovative integration of migrant students into the school and a United Nations Award for a charitable project in Daular, Ecuador{{cite web|title=Kooperationsvertrag |url=http://www.uni-bielefeld.de/OSK/NEOS_Versuchsschule/guayaquil.pdf |work=German School Guayaquil-University of Bielefeld |publisher=Universität Bielefeld |language=de |access-date=20 February 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060518100222/http://www.uni-bielefeld.de/OSK/NEOS_Versuchsschule/guayaquil.pdf |archive-date=18 May 2006 }} together with the German School of Guayaquil.{{cite web|title=Das etwas andere Abitur|url=http://www.bielefeld-marketing.de/de/service/bibewegt/meldung.html?idpm=2006-02-15-10.57.25.689981|work=Bielefeld Marketing|publisher=Bielefeld Marketing|language=de|access-date=20 February 2009|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081114175737/http://www.bielefeld-marketing.de/de/service/bibewegt/meldung.html?idpm=2006-02-15-10.57.25.689981|archive-date=14 November 2008}}
=Rankings=
{{Infobox Germany university rankings
| QS = 951–1000
| QS_N = 45
| QS_year = 2024
| QS_ref = {{cite web|url=https://www.topuniversities.com/university-rankings/world-university-rankings/2024|title=QS World University Rankings 2024|access-date=16 July 2023|website=QS World University Rankings}}
| THE = 201–250
| THE_N = 23–26
| THE_year = 2023
| THE_ref = {{cite web|url=https://www.timeshighereducation.com/world-university-rankings/2023/world-ranking|title=World University Rankings 2023|access-date=16 July 2023|website=Times Higher Education World University Rankings|date=4 October 2022}}
| ARWU = 701–800
| ARWU_N = 41–42
| ARWU_year = 2023
| ARWU_ref = {{cite web|url=https://www.shanghairanking.com/rankings/arwu/2023|title=2023 Academic Ranking of World Universities|website=Academic Ranking of World Universities|access-date=15 August 2023}}
}}
In the QS World University Rankings for 2024, the university is placed within the 951–1000 range, ranking as the 45th institution at the national level. In contrast, the university achieves a higher position in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings, where it lands within the 201–250 bracket in 2023, and ranks between 23rd and 26th in the country. According to the Academic Ranking of World Universities for 2023, the university's global rank falls within the 701–800 range, placing it between 41st and 42nd nationally.
In 2017, Bielefeld University was ranked 22nd in the world by the Times Higher Education (THE) Young University Rankings,{{cite web|title=Times Higher Education (THE) Young University Rankings 2017 |date=4 April 2017 |url=https://www.timeshighereducation.com/world-university-rankings/2017/young-university-rankings |work=Times Higher Education World University Rankings}} and among the top 300 universities by the traditional Times Higher Education World University Rankings.
In the THE ranking of 2011 Bielefeld is placed among the top 50 universities in engineering and technology.{{cite web|title=Top 50 Engineering & Technology universities |date=13 April 2015 |url=http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/world-university-rankings/2010-2011/engineering-and-IT.html |work=Times Higher Education World University Rankings}}
In terms of mathematics, the Academic Ranking of World Universities of 2018{{cite web |title=ARWU in Mathematics – 2017 |url=http://www.shanghairanking.com/Shanghairanking-Subject-Rankings/mathematics.html |work=Academic Ranking of World Universities |access-date=11 July 2017 |archive-date=1 July 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170701105815/http://www.shanghairanking.com/Shanghairanking-Subject-Rankings/mathematics.html |url-status=dead}} places Bielefeld among the four best universities of Germany and 101–150 best universities in the world. The German Center for Higher Education Development Excellence Ranking, which measures academic performance of European graduate programs in biology, chemistry, mathematics, and physics, placed Bielefeld in the excellence group for mathematics.{{Citation needed|date=June 2017}}
Protests against tuition fees
Bielefeld University was one of the centers of student protests in the fight against the introduction of tuition fees. In the course of the protests, the central hall and the university president's office were occupied by protesting students for over a month.
In a vote organised by the AStA and the students parliament, about 94 percent of the participants voted against the introduction of tuition fees, although only 22 percent of the students cast their vote. This is comparable to similar results at other German universities.
In its session of 12 July 2006, the university senate decided to introduce tuition fees of €500 per semester, beginning in 2007.{{cite web |title= Senat der Universität Bielefeld beschließt Studienbeiträge |url= http://www.uni-bielefeld.de/Universitaet/Einrichtungen/Pressestelle/dokumente/Senat_Studienbeitraege.pdf |work= Senate of the University of Bielefeld decides tuition fees |publisher= Universität Bielefeld |language= de |access-date= 13 June 2008 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20090316213028/http://www.uni-bielefeld.de/Universitaet/Einrichtungen/Pressestelle/dokumente/Senat_Studienbeitraege.pdf |archive-date= 16 March 2009 |url-status= dead }}{{cite web |title= Einige wichtige Informationen zur Erhebung von Studienbeiträgen an der Universität Bielefeld |url= http://www.uni-bielefeld.de/Universitaet/Einrichtungen/Pressestelle/dokumente/Informationen_Studienbeitraege.pdf |work= Some important information about the collection of tuition fees at the University of Bielefeld |publisher= Universität Bielefeld |language= de |access-date= 13 June 2008 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20090316213239/http://www.uni-bielefeld.de/Universitaet/Einrichtungen/Pressestelle/dokumente/Informationen_Studienbeitraege.pdf |archive-date= 16 March 2009 |url-status= dead }}
In August 2006, a universal key for the university went missing during a senate session. After that, multiple cases of arson and defacement of university property were reported. University president Dieter Timmermann was a particular target of these attacks. The cost of the damage, mainly due to the replacement of thousands of locks, was estimated at over a million euros.
See also
References
{{Reflist|30em}}
External links
- {{official website|https://www.uni-bielefeld.de/(en)/index.html}} {{in lang|de|en}}
- [https://www.uni-bielefeld.de/OSK/ Official website of the Oberstufen-Kolleg of the University of Bielefeld] {{in lang|de}}
{{Universities and colleges in North Rhine-Westphalia}}
{{Universities in Germany}}
{{Authority control}}