Prof. Dr. Tamara Appel's office is now a museum. At least a little bit. Student works have been hanging there since the beginning of the year - currently on the subject of "Tolerance". The Rector of Fachhochschule Dortmund also wants to make the office wall space in House A on the Sonnenstraße campus available to other student projects.
For several months, the walls in the Rector's office were white. Naturally, the whiteboard next to the door could hardly meet the expectations of a colorful eye-catcher. Things have been different since the start of 2024. Several large posters adorn the west and south sides of the room. They are student works, printed in the Fachhochschule Dortmund workshops. They present a message in different ways: tolerance.
Not a random choice. "As a place of education and encounters, Fachhochschule Dortmund stands for the respectful exchange of different perspectives based on science," emphasizes Tamara Appel. Teaching and research thrive on objective discourse that transcends boundaries. The students' works in the Rector's office therefore fulfill more than just the purpose of profane aesthetics - they are an impulse for intercultural dialogue, for understanding, for togetherness.
A good start to conversations
"The debates that we are currently having in our society, the crises and challenges that the world is facing - we can only overcome all of this together," says the Rector. "Our aim is not only to provide practical training for the young people who entrust themselves to us. Fachhochschule Dortmund also stands for values - for a cosmopolitan mindset, for tolerance."
It is not yet clear how long the tolerance posters of the Faculty of Design will be on display in SON-A room 035.1. What is certain, however, is that it is not a permanent exhibition. Prof. Appel plans to make her office walls available to other faculties as a presentation space. "This is always a good way for me to start conversations with my guests," says the Rector. This applies to external visitors such as representatives of the city or state ministries as well as members of the university. "In everyday life, we often don't have the time to think outside the box - to look at other faculties, other study programs or the administration," says Tamara Appel. There are so many exciting projects at Fachhochschule Dortmund that many people are not yet aware of.