Vertretungen und Beauftragte
Der Mittelbaurat
Council of Academic Staff at Bielefeld University
The Council of Academic Staff at Bielefeld University (abbreviated to: Mittelbaurat, or MBR for short) represents the interests of non-professorial academic staff at Bielefeld University in accordance with Section 5 (1) of Bielefeld University's Constitution (German Version).
We commemorate
Dr Petra Bollweg, departmental teaching staff at the Faculty of Educational Science, born on 19.06.1966, died on 18.04.2026.
Petra had worked in various positions at the Faculty of Educational Science since 1999. Her academic interests focussed on the interface between schools and social pedagogy. From the very beginning, Petra has combined her research activities with a high level of political commitment, both in the faculty and at university level. At the university, she was a member of the Finance Commission, the Equal Opportunities Commission, the Election Committee and the Election Review Committee, among others, and was also a member of the Senate for many years. She also held the position of Deputy Chairwoman here. She shaped and moulded the work of the non-professorial academic staff for decades. On the Election Committee, for example, she campaigned for the right to vote for non-professorial academic staff employed on a part-time basis.
It is also to Petra's credit that the Mittelbaurat (MBR) was transformed from an initially tolerated, informal association into a university body. Together with other colleagues, she organised the process of creating rules of procedure. We are still benefiting from this arduous process.
Petra Bollweg was characterised by her tireless commitment to Mittelbau matters and filled her offices with a great deal of strength, energy and courage. She had an excellent analytical eye for organisational and institutional conditions and imbalances. She was a passionate contributor to the aforementioned committees: critical and uncomfortable, but always focussed on the cause.
Her critical spirit is missing.
Bielefeld in May 2026
The chairmanship team of the Mittelbaurat
- What does the Council of Academic Staff do?
The non-professorial Academic staff at Bielefeld University includes
- Doctoral candidates and postdocs (mostly: academic non-managerial staff)
- Councillors (mostly: in grade A remunerated officials)
- seconded teachers
- departmental teachers
- Research assistants
- i.e. practically everyone who is not a professor, does not primarily study and is not part of technological and administrative staff, but is in an academic employment relationship with the University.
The Council is not a "publicly meeting body" (such as the Senate or faculty conferences), but an association representing the interests of academic staff from all faculties. The Committee serves the cross-faculty networking of the non-professorial academics and dissemination of information, advises committees and commissions and submits election proposals.
The aim is to visualise the great heterogeneity of our status group (which includes, for example, very different age cohorts and both short-term employees and permanent officials) and to ensure that the associated needs and interests are taken into account in University decision-making processes.
- Who is the Council of Academic Staff (Mittelbaurat)?
Who is the Council of Academic Staff (Mittelbaurat)?
In accordance with its rules of procedure, the rules of procedure is made up of three groups:
Voting members are the spokespersons of the academic staff of the Faculties in accordance with Section 5 of Bielefeld University's constitution.
Non-voting members are the spokespersons of the academic co-workers of the central academic institutes as well as all members of the group of academic co-workers elected to central bodies and committees ((university) commissions, committees, etc.).
Other non-voting members are all academic staff at Bielefeld University. Everyone is welcome to attend the meetings of the Council of Academic Stuff!
Voting is based on the principle of one vote per faculty. Voting authorisations can be transferred flexibly and informally. If only one member of the non-professorial academic staff from a particular faculty is present at a meeting of the Council, they can automatically vote for their faculty.
- Chairmanship of the Council of Academic Staff
Chairmanship of the Council of Academic Staff
Chairpersons (formerly: "Sprecher*innen - academic staff representatives") of the Council of Academic Staff of Bielefeld University are up to three staff members.
Each year, the Council of Academic Staff elects a chairperson consisting of up to three equal members (chairpersons of the Council of Academic Staff) from the group of non-professorial academics at the university.
The chairs invite members to the meetings and organise the representation of the interests of the academic staff in the university bodies.
Chair team (term of office April 2026 to March 2027):
Michelle Ginder (Faculty of History, Philosophy und Theology)
Dr Katharina Mattonet (Faculty of Psychology and Sports Science)
Dr Julia Streit-Lehmann (Faculty of Mathematics)Mail to the chair team: mittelbaurat@uni-bielefeld.de
Administration: Olga Mantovanelli
Tel: 0521-106-3147
Room: K3-103- Meeting dates
Current dates for meetings of the Council of Academic Staff
All non-professorial academic staff are cordially invited to all meetings of the Mittelbau. Just drop by!
The regular meetings of the Council of Academic Staff always take place during the lecture period one week before the Senate meetings online via Zoom from 2:00 to (approx.) 4:00 pm.
Summer Semester 2026
- Wednesday, 15.04.2026
- Wednesday, 29.04.2026
- Wednesday, 27.05.2026
- Wednesday, 24.06.2026 - postponed to Wednesday, 08.07.2026
Winter Semester 2025/2026
- Wednesday, 08.10.2025
- Wednesday, 03.12.2025
- Wednesday, 21.01.2026