Three questions for the new Wels FH dean Roman Froschauer

Tips:From professor to dean. Have you already settled into your new role and what does a dean actually do?

Frog shower: I have been a professor at the Wels campus since 2016, head of the course since 2018 and, as vice dean for industrial cooperation, since 2022, I have been significantly involved in the strategic direction of the faculty. Since I also studied here on campus, it is certainly a big advantage that I know the faculty from different perspectives. The office of dean is characterized by many organizational tasks. In addition to day-to-day business, for me it also means being able to actively shape the future of the faculty and thus the future of many people together with our committed colleagues.

Tips: Flexibility, internationalization, attractiveness: these were their goals. How will man manage to die?

Frog shower: In addition to the current full-time and part-time study programs, the range of courses is to be further developed by making time models more flexible and continuously modularizing the teaching content. There are already many special areas of expertise in the higher semesters and students can take free elective subjects across all faculties. This means you can flexibly adapt your studies to your needs and interests. In addition to expanding our international study offerings, for me internationalization also means promoting partnerships with other universities in order to enable more mobility for research staff and students. I will continue the campus attractiveness that has already been implemented with a green inner courtyard, chill-out areas for students and a redesign of the cafeteria. For example, project-oriented learning is increasingly being practiced in many study programs. For this purpose, we will set up attractive “Project Spaces” outside of the classic lecture hall.

Tips:The FH is an important interface between education and business. How can interested parties be encouraged to start studying?

Frog shower: Getting young people interested in technical training is a major challenge. We must set ourselves the goal of making our faculty better known and better explaining what we offer to students, including future students. There are so many interesting areas, especially in technology and the natural sciences, that we need to explain better as clearly as possible. However, given the large range of courses available in Austria and the declining number of potential students, we also have to take new paths. Finding students at home and abroad and keeping them in Upper Austria after they graduate is one of the big challenges for the next few years. There are several courses that are taught in English. In addition, international study programs (2+6 semesters) have been created that make it easier for students to access the Austrian labor market by starting their studies in English and completing them in German.