Third Party Funds Group - Sub project
Acronym: [UnJust:Uni]
Start date : 01.04.2026
End date : 31.12.2029
This subproject examines the (de)institutionalization of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) at public universities, analyzing both the programs and initiatives implemented in the context of DEI and their practical translation at these institutions from the perspective of key actors in the field. This brings into focus the dynamics of the (de)institutionalization of DEI, which, following a phase of consolidation, are currently increasingly subject to political attacks. For this purpose, four public universities are examined comparatively — FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg, Goethe University Frankfurt, the University of Luxembourg, and Pennsylvania State University — which exhibit varying degrees of institutionalization and mechanisms for implementing DEI-related policies.
“UnJust Universities” aims to reconstruct the various logics of action and decision-making through which DEI is implemented at these universities and to situate them within the ambivalent discourse surrounding academic excellence and inclusion. In doing so, the project contributes to sharpening the dialectic of participation and involvement and also incorporates recent approaches from educational research on (de)institutionalization.