Academic staff in Germany

“RT @hsspiegel Majority of academic staff in Germany on short-term contracts. Half of them less than 12 months. http://bit.ly/eI8xxb” (tweet)

[Gaby Mahlberg, Twitter, 12 March]

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PhD row ex-minister faces charges after resignation

“Karl-Theodor Freiherr zu Guttenberg, who last week stepped down as Germany’s Minister of Defence following allegations of plagiarism in his doctoral thesis, has also resigned his seat in parliament, meaning he is no longer immune from prosecution. With more than 100 accusations of plagiarism being probed by prosecutors, zu Guttenberg is now facing preliminary court proceedings …” (more)

[Michael Gardner, University World News, 8 March]

Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg and his movable type

“The resignation of a minister over PhD plagiarism reveals how much more Germany values academia than we do …” (more)

[Philip Oltermann, Guardian, 2 March]

German defence minister quits over plagiarism row

“German’s defence minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg has resigned from all political posts after a scandal over duplications in his PhD thesis has grown out of proportion …” (more)

[Quirin Schiermeier, The Great Beyond, 1 March]

German scientists outraged in defence minister plagiarism affair

“Thousands of German scientists and academics have signed an open letter to Chancellor Angela Merkel expressing their unhappiness over the official handling of the by-now notorious case of plagiarism on the part of her minister of defence. Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg is accused of having duplicated large parts of his 2006 PhD thesis …” (more)

[Quirin Schiermeier, The Great Beyond, 28 February]

Academic plagiarism and the wider world

“Academics are used to discussions about the nature and implications of plagiarism, both on the part of students and occasionally by staff. But just occasionally plagiarism that had its origins in academic exercises creates waves in the wider world …” (more)

[Ferdinand von Prondzynski, University Blog, 24 February]

University strips German minister of his doctorate

“The German defence minister rejected opposition claims he was a ‘liar and a cheat’ but has admitted writing an ‘obviously problematic’ doctoral thesis …” (more)

[Derek Scally, Irish Times, 24 February]

German minister will ‘give up’ PhD

“Germany’s defence minister said today he would give up his doctorate title in an attempt to quell a plagiarism scandal that has prompted a criminal investigation …” (more)

[Irish Times, 21 February]

German defence minister to drop PhD title over plagiarism row

“Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg, Germany’s defence minister, said he would ‘temporarily’ drop his PhD title owing to a plagiarism scandal threatening to engulf the career of one the country’s most popular politicians …” (more)

[Matthew Day, Daily Telegraph, 18 February]

German minister accused of plagiarism

“Baron Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg is minister of defence in Angela Merkel’s cabinet and was, until recently, also Germany’s most popular politician. He is young, good-looking and a self-proclaimed acid-rock fan. Now he is being charged with plagiarism: The Christian Democrat politician allegedly duplicated passages from newspaper articles, conference proceedings and grey literature for his PhD thesis …” (more)

[Quirin Schiermeier, The Great Beyond, 16 February]

90 Papers by German Could Be Retracted on Ethics Concerns

“An ongoing investigation into the work of a German anaesthesiologist may lead to as many as 90 retractions. Joachim Boldt was fired in November from his job as head of anesthesia at the Klinikum Ludwigshafen after an investigation into a 2009 paper raised suspicions …” (more)

[Gretchen Vogel, Science Insider, 4 February]

Student mobility rising fast, study shows

“The number of German students studying abroad doubled in 2000-08. A survey suggests that they are much more mobile than students from most other countries …” (more)

[Michael Gardner, University World News, 16 January]

NUI Galway Lecturers Amongst Group Awarded For Promoting German In Ireland

“The Business German in Ireland Working Group has been announced as the winner of the Kuratorium Award for 2010. The group includes three NUI Galway lecturers …” (more)

[NUI Galway News, 10 January]

Fears for degree muddle

“The dispute over Germany’s retention of its old diplom degree in the engineering sciences despite the Bologna process has been given further impetus through the adoption of new legislation by the state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and the announcement by a leading university specialising in engineering sciences that it will introduce new diplom courses this year …” (more)

[Michael Gardner, University World News, 9 January]

Shoe on other foot as German students send toys to Ireland

“A group of German students, who spent a semester studying Ireland, organised a campus-wide campaign to collect shoe boxes of toys to send to the needy in Ireland …” (more)

[Irish Times, 24 December]

Giant Slides Should be Obligatory In Every University and School Building

“This is the Technische Universitat in Munich, Germany. Those giant tubes are slides to go from the top floor to the ground level patio. Why? It doesn’t matter. This is an example to be followed all around the world.” (photo)

[Gizmodo, 22 December]

Private universities – not-so Ivy League

“‘We may be swimming against the current’, says Stephan Jansen, President of Zeppelin University, one of Germany’s top private schools. ‘But we are comfortable in our lane.’ Zeppelin University programmes bridge the disciplines of business, politics and culture …” (more)

[Lily Philipose, University World News, 19 December]

German research centre widens misconduct probe

“Rocked by revelations of long-running scientific misconduct in its immunology department, the Research Center Borstel in Germany is to broaden its investigation into the work of a pair of former scientists suspected of systematic image manipulation in a number of research papers …” (more)

[Quirin Schiermeier, Nature, 13 December]

German university woes

“If you think that budgetary and regulatory concerns are unique to higher education institutions in these islands, you may perhaps find some comfort in the anguish now being expressed by universities in Germany …” (more)

[Ferdinand von Prondzynski, University Blog, 8 December]

Joint university founded in Istanbul

“Germany and Turkey have founded a new university in Istanbul. The Deutsch-Türkische Universität (DTU) is to focus on engineering sciences and engage in intensive cooperation with industry, but will also be providing a platform for cultural exchange …” (more)

[Michael Gardner, University World News, 7 November]