AAUP counsel gives affirmative action presentations in Germany

AT THE INVITATION OF SEVERAL German universities and the U.S. Information Agency, AAUP counsel Jonathan Alger traveled to Germany in February to talk about American law on affirmative action and discrimination in higher education. Alger spoke with professors, students, and government officials in Frankfurt, Bonn, Hannover, Munich, and Berlin.

Despite Germany's history with regard to minorities, the country lacks a federal antidiscrimination law. Yet the German economy relies on a steady stream of immigrants from Turkey, the former republics of Yugoslavia, eastern Europe, and elsewhere to fill different jobs-most of which do not require higher education. The government of Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder has stirred controversy by expressing a desire to overhaul the country's nationality laws to make it easier for nonethnic Germans to become German citizens. Under current law, German ancestry is the primary determinant of citizenship. "During my visit," says Alger, "I observed that the suggested reform has triggered a conservative backlash and a national debate about what it means to be German-not unlike the recent attacks on affirmative action programs in higher education in the United States."

"The German system of higher education, like its counterpart in the United States, is grappling with questions of access and equal opportunity," Alger reports. Most German universities do not charge tuition and are open to all students with the prerequisite degree. But children are separated into collegepreparatory and vocational tracks at an early age, and most minority students are not eligible for admission to German universities. Alger notes, "The students and faculty members I met generally admired the emphasis on individual rights in American law, but felt that the recent legal hurdles faced by affirmative action programs in the United States reflect a failure of our legal system to recognize the broader, community-wide benefits of diversity."

According to Alger, professors at German universities face many of the same challenges that confront American academics. "I heard many complaints from faculty members about budget cuts, heavy workloads, application of corporate models of efficiency and governance, and the increasing use of parttime faculty in place of full-time professors," he explains.

In regard to the work of the AAUP, Alger says he was heartened to hear from many people that the Association's policies and procedures serve as useful models on everything from academic freedom to distance education. "As we formulate responses to the difficult issues now facing higher education," Alger contends, "we should keep in mind that the world is watching."