Rahel Hutgens: "Everyone benefits from internationalisation"

Rahel Hutgens spent her student years in Göttingen and Istanbul. Her subjects: Turkology/Central Asian Studies and Cultural Anthropology/European Ethnology. After graduating, she worked at the universities of Göttingen and Jena and, since 2015, in Bonn, where she later completed her doctorate at the Institute of Oriental and Asian Studies in the Department of Islamic Studies and Middle Eastern Languages. It was also her doctorate that prompted her to move to Bonn. The Rhineland itself is nothing new to her, as she was born and grew up near Düsseldorf. Her mother is of Turkish origin, while her father is Dutch, which is part of the explanation for the broad cultural background mentioned above. She grew up tricultural and "two and a half languages", she says. The restriction refers to Dutch, of which she only attests to a basic knowledge. In any case, she spent a lot of time with her parents in Turkey, in the Netherlands at weekends and generally travelling a lot. She found it enriching and so her affinity for other cultures and languages was, she says, "something she was born with."

From science to science management

After completing her doctorate, the young scientist decided not to stay in science but to go into science management. She came into contact with Hochschule Bonn-Rhein-Sieg during her time at the University of Bonn. Even then, she had noticed that the university had an international focus. "And so it worked out that I found a university that strives to be international - the perfect fit for me."

Rahel Hutgens is clear about the International Office's target group: it is all members of the university. She is convinced that everyone benefits from internationalisation: "The exchange leads to a gain in knowledge and enriches our day-to-day work by reflecting on our own structures and processes." This is why she sees the International Office as a multi-faceted service provider for everyone, even though students are the main target group. For this reason, she would like to raise awareness of the programmes for stays abroad for employees, for example. Job shadowing, for example, allows H-BRS employees to experience everyday working life at a partner university for a limited period of time. International contacts in science are also to be given special support. A major concern of the new Head of the International Office is that colleagues at H-BRS approach her with their needs and ideas with regard to internationalisation: "It would be great if this could happen proactively. I would be very happy to be approached. The International Office will try to support any good ideas."

Rahel Hutgens knows the thrill of travelling all too well from her own experience. Many countries are on her "been there, done that" list, with even more on the agenda, such as Japan. When she is travelling in her free time, she describes herself as a "spontaneous traveller with a rucksack": "I book the first hotel on the route, then I keep looking." She particularly enjoys travelling around the country by public transport, which has always worked out well. Her recipe for success includes the recommendation: "Ask the locals what they think is worth seeing."

Speaking of locals: what is particularly worth seeing in Turkey and what is particularly worth seeing in the Netherlands? Rahel Hutgens could tell you a lot about the respective culture, history, architecture and nature, but in the end, she remains Solomonic: "Both countries are extremely recommendable - you have to experience it for yourself."

Text: Martin J. Schulz