Agreement in the dispute over ex-university president Tolan: What comes next!

Agreement in the dispute over ex-university president Tolan: What comes next!

After months of legal disputes, there is finally an agreement between the former president of the University of Göttingen, Metin Tolan, and the state of Lower Saxony. As the Borken newspaper reported, the agreement was officially confirmed today by a spokesman for the Göttingen Administrative Court. Tolan had sued against his dismissal after the Senate of the Georg-August University withdrew its trust from him last year, which led to his deselection.

The dismissal order was issued by the Lower Saxony Ministry of Science because, according to the ministry, the dismissal complies with the provisions of the Higher Education Act. There is no legal provision for a transfer after being voted out, which further complicates the situation for Tolan. However, it was agreed not to disclose the exact contents of the agreement, so it is not known how the parties ultimately reached a compromise.

Interim solution at the top of the university

Since March 1st, Axel Schölmerich has taken on the role of interim president at the University of Göttingen. The psychologist and former rector of the Ruhr University Bochum is to lead the university for a year and prepare the election of the next president. Under his leadership, the University of Göttingen is one of the largest universities in Lower Saxony with almost 28,000 students, and he has already made plans for the future strategic direction of the institution.

It remains to be seen how the situation will develop after this agreement and what steps will be taken by both the university and the Ministry of Science to ensure stability at the university.

Transparency and data protection at universities

In another context, the issue of data protection at universities is also becoming increasingly important. The Website of the German University Association provides information about the legal framework surrounding the collection and processing of personal data. These regulations concern, among other things, the handling of contact details, IP addresses and other personal information that is necessary for both memberships and registration for events. Compliance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) forms the basis for all data protection-related activities.

It is important for the University of Göttingen and other educational institutions not only to comply with these requirements, but also to communicate them transparently. In times in which digital offerings and online studies are becoming more and more important, students' trust in the handling of their data is also playing a central role.