Social Work is the largest degree programme at HSZG. The more than 700 students in the Faculty of Social Sciences in Görlitz make up a good quarter of the entire university. “We don’t get much attention for that yet,” Mandy Schulze laughs. She’s glad she can now change that. She studied business administration, sociology, and education in Mannheim, Heidelberg, and Berlin. She earned her doctorate on continuing education degree programmes at universities from Humboldt University in Berlin, is a co-founder of the association Perspektive³, and is part of the editorial team for the journal *Hochschule und Weiterbildung* (ZHWB).

The Future of University Education

The topic of continuing education at universities has long been a recurring theme in her career. “For me, personal and professional experience has a lot to do with continuing education,” she says. One thing becomes immediately apparent when talking with Mandy Schulze: she questions existing structures. Off the cuff, she draws a completely logical connection between the limits of higher education development and physical borders. “What is a university, what is continuing education, what is academia? The boundaries are fluid. That’s also a relevant topic—now that the borders are closed again.”

She has just co-edited the volume *Higher Education Continuing Education as a Field of Research—Critical Assessments and Perspectives*. The field of higher education continuing education is systematically examined in light of current research findings, and areas needing development are highlighted. “What is currently being researched? Where is no one actually looking? What are the topics that aren’t being questioned?” That is Schulze’s field of research. She knows her way around this area.

“I find the development of universities of applied sciences absolutely fascinating,” says Schulze. “The HSZG offers an incredible range of majors. Unfortunately, there are fewer students in the technical programs. In contrast, in the Social Sciences in Görlitz, there are over 400 applications for just 90 spots in the Social Work degree programme alone. About 100 are enrolled. The degree programme is always filled to the very last spot.” Continuing education at universities is a topic close to Schulze’s heart. But not for economic reasons: What makes a university a university when it comes to offering continuing education? The awarding of academic degrees? It’s not just about earning a degree. “Are we bringing professionally qualified individuals to the university so they can develop new ideas through their experience and theoretical engagement? And how permeable is the university system compared to vocational education? Where does vocational education end, and where does academic education begin? What should such a program look like?”

“Virologists in the current COVID-19 pandemic have networked; that’s the modern approach. It’s not about snatching masks away from each other or closing borders, but rather joining forces and sharing expertise.”

Academic Continuing Education as a Channel for Communication

What role can universities play in the future? “Are we offering what companies need? Through degree programmes and disciplinary thinking?” Schulze says that doesn’t work (anymore), yet we still do it that way. This would be particularly exciting in the context of continuing education. “If you ask, ‘What kind of staff will your company need in five years?’—no one can answer that. We mistakenly assume things are constant, when in fact everything is much more dynamic.” She says: If you’d asked people fifteen years ago whether they wanted to check their emails from anywhere or watch movies on their phones, they would have said, “Nope, I can just check at home.” Then the iPhone came along. And everyone wanted portable information. “Think in terms of solutions,” says Schulze, “not products.”

Since 2015, there have been more first-year college students than first-year vocational trainees. However, degree programmes are only partially aligned with the current job market because academic knowledge is more independent, says Schulze. “More and more fields are becoming academic disciplines (such as childhood education)—which isn’t a bad thing at all, because it gives rise to new fields of research.” Academic continuing education serves as a channel of communication for this. “Virologists have networked during the current COVID-19 pandemic; that’s a modern approach. Not snatching masks away from each other or closing borders. But joining forces and sharing expertise.” By this, she also means allowing for diverse expertise—the opinions of economists, Social Work professionals, and IT specialists.

The Last Coke in the Desert

Schulze says that this outdated notion—“We, as a university, possess the knowledge, send it out into the desert where people are thirsting for knowledge, and then we tell companies how to do it”—no longer applies. Large companies have long been conducting their own research in their respective fields.

Apparently, it’s not just about the idea—it’s the practical application that requires people like Mandy Schulze and her practical expertise. “We should become aware of the role of a regional university. And we should do so together,” says Schulze. Academic continuing education is a way to deal with problems and uncertainties. “After all, we know what’s going on in the region.” Opening up universities to continuing education degrees can establish modern scholarship—“That’s my favorite topic,” says Schulze. “That’s where the future lies.”

That sounds as if Schulze already has the solution. “How can we solve problems without having a single solution? What we need to do is put on our theoretical glasses and look at things from different perspectives with a transdisciplinary approach to clarify them.” The university must ask itself: What is our mission—which societal problems do we want to address through higher education?

Upper Lusatia Transfer

One question follows another. And these are big questions that Schulze is asking himself. How do we bring science into society—and vice versa? What does practice-based knowledge look like? How can universities address societal issues and facilitate knowledge transfer? What makes academic continuing education truly academic? What should such a program look like? And finally, perhaps the most important question: How can this fit into our Upper Lusatia Socio-Ecological System?

In 1988, Zittaus’s former engineering college had been granted the status of a technical university, having already been granted the right to award doctorates. It lost that status again with the restructuring of Saxony’s higher education landscape after German reunification and was downgraded to a university of applied sciences. “That really has an impact on the region,” says Schulze. She herself left her hometown shortly after the fall of the Berlin Wall. In 2010, Schulze and her colleagues founded the “3rd Generation East Germany” initiative. For this work, they were awarded the Gustav Heinemann Citizens’ Prize in 2013 and the Theodor Heuss Medal in 2020. With “Perspektive3,” Mandy Schulze aims to support her generation’s participation in the transformation of East Germany—to engage in a learning process and a dialogue.

“How do we position ourselves as a university of applied sciences within the higher education landscape?” “How open do we want to be? How can we discuss corporate structures and social conditions in our region?” “We need to build relationships and engage in discourse,” says Schulze. “And not just by having someone stand up front and explain their academic studies with a PowerPoint presentation. We need to find other ways to talk to one another and work in a more application-oriented manner.”

Studying to Become One’s True Self

A certain educational foundation is needed, says Schulze. “Of course, we must convey certain perspectives within a disciplinary context in our teaching. That’s what I mean by scholarship.” Beyond that, her students should develop a certain mindset. “I’ll engage in dialogue with them,” she says, but that isn’t a fixed educational canon. “Students don’t just need me as a source of input who crams them full of knowledge. They need someone who asks questions together with them.” It takes exactly these seven semesters, says Schulze, “until you choose your topic, write your Bachelor thesis, and pour everything you’ve learned into that work. In the end, you’ve become your own person by developing your own perspective.”

“Students don’t just need me as a source of information who fills them with knowledge. They need someone who asks questions together with them.”

Mandy Schulze says, “I contribute my perspective on networks.” In addition to teaching, she’s constantly exploring and conducting research on her topics on the side—she’s excited about this exciting time of transformation. “Just like during the reunification era, structures have crumbled and new ones are emerging.” Schulze suggests making the most of this (uncertain) time: What opportunities are there for community work? How much of my knowledge can I apply? And what can’t I? With whom do I coordinate—or not? “We can’t say how things will unfold. Everything could turn out completely differently. There’s an uncertainty we have to endure. It’s a learning process in modern times—and it has to have a little spice and chili!”

The interview was conducted by Sophie Herwig