On April 26, the program kicked off with the first virtual Montgelas Workshop, where twelve TUM employees from the central administration and faculty administrations exchanged ideas with colleagues from Aalto University in Finland. The topic was in particular the development of digital services.
CIO Dr. Hans Pongratz and his Finnish colleague Christa Winqvist talked about challenges and achievements from a management perspective. They also discussed the consequences of the digitalization push since the beginning of the pandemic for the two universities – with opportunities, but also burdens for daily work practice.
Lively discussions among peers
Pivotal for the one-day workshop were one-to-one conversations among peers from the same field, as e.g. study services, start-up advising, legal services or real estate management. The attendees appreciated the opportunity to get inspired by best practices but also discovered many similarities in daily challenges. Many of them are looking forward to continue peer discussions and collaborations with the newly established network.
The workshop was a joint effort of the TUM Global & Alumni Office and TUM horizons at the Institute for LifeLong Learning, and many participants will certainly use the newly learned methods from the digital workshop, from mural to eye yoga, for the upcoming workdays with Zoom.
Further workshops and Montgelas Fellowships
Montgelas Workshops with other TUM partners are already being planned. The success of the pilot event, as well as the very large number of registrations from very different administrative areas, give us hope that this innovative continuing education format will quickly establish itself. As soon as the development of the pandemic allows it, the Montgelas Fellowships will also provide the opportunity for stays at partner institutions to make the exchange even more intensive.