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Committed to a Diverse Community

UZH stands out thanks to the wide range of people who work, study and conduct research here. We met with some of the people who strengthen our community and make our university a lively place for debate.
Nathalie Huber (text), Sophie Stieger (images)

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Elif Kuscu

Elif Kuscu is co-CEO of the women’s peer mentoring group CareerElixier and PhD candidate and teaching assistant in sustainable operations management in the Department of Business Administration.

 

“Clarifying basic questions”

“When I started my PhD, Swiss culture and my role as a PhD candidate were new to me. CareerElixier was the first group that actively approached me and invited me to attend its monthly lunches. Those meetings helped me a lot to clear up basic questions such as how the professorial chair system works, for example. The dialogue with other members of the group was inspiring and helped me to develop a well-defined research proposal right from the outset of my PhD.

“I now am the co-CEO of CareerElixier. We help our members to get their research published, to acquire grants, to balance professional and family life, and to improve their teaching skills. Our annual program includes on- and offsite writing retreats that give members time and space to concentrate on their research papers without any distractions. Each year we additionally organize two workshops aimed at honing professional and interdisciplinary skills. A workshop on preparing oneself for the job market was recently held, for example. The next one is dedicated to presentation speaking skills training.

Networking with key people

“My main task is organizing events and keeping track of our activities while my co-CEO Mingxuan Ma is in charge of the budget. I concentrate mainly on coordinating our members and on connecting them with key people whenever the need arises. Many of the abilities that I acquire through CareerElixier – be it time management, organizational or communication skills – also are very beneficial to my PhD studies.

“During one writing retreat, a former doctoral candidate recounted to me how on her first retreat, other members encouraged her to continue her PhD even though she was struggling with family obligations. Today, she is a successful assistant professor and has received major research grants. Her story brought home to me just how valuable events of this kind can be to our career development.”

Marian Bohl

Marian Bohl is a representative of the administrative and technical staff (ATP) on the Commission for Education and Student Affairs, and product owner and business analyst in the Student Lifecycle eServices Office.

“Building bridges”

“Ever since obtaining my doctorate, I have been a committed advocate of constructive cooperation and have been very involved in representing the interests of the bodies to which I belong. Since I by now am a member of the ATP, I represent that body on the Commission for Education and Student Affairs and can build bridges there with my experience as a former instructor and doctoral candidate.

“I am convinced that an organization cannot function optimally unless its members take on responsibility and get actively involved. It always takes people who see to it that the views of those whose work is affected get integrated into decision-making processes.

“My work on the commission was one of the main reasons why I have resumed working in the area of education and student affairs since last year. It allows me to gain early insights into strategic developments within the area of education and student affairs and fosters tight-knit networking through direct dialogue with the other members of the commission.

Integrating the perspective of the ATP

“Although discussions within the Commission for Education and Student Affairs are often shaped by the needs of students, teaching staff and professors, I take a stand to also make the perspective of the ATP visible. Unlike students, junior researchers or instructors, members of the ATP normally stay involved in teaching operations for the long run, play a major role in preserving institutional knowledge and thus make a valuable contribution to the stability and ongoing further development of the organization, which ultimately benefits everyone.

“In the discussion about the rules on the provision of plagiarism detection software, for example, I pulled in the views of my ATP colleagues, who regularly deal with this issue as study program coordinators or advisors. Together we advocated to allow students to use the plagiarism detection software provided by UZH autonomously. I found it very gratifying that the ATP’s point of view was endorsed by the majority of the commission.

Tact is called for

“What I particularly appreciate about working on the commission is the constructive discussion culture and the deep commitment of everyone involved. However, there are many issues that do not center on the duties and interests of the ATP. In situations of that kind, tact is called for to exercise restraint and to contribute input only when it actually creates added value.”