Informationsinfrastrukturen im Wandel. Changing ... - DINI

Peter Schirmbacher 239
A characteristic feature of the university is its classical range of faculties,
which includes a medical faculty run under the joint responsibility of
the Humboldt University and the Free University. Altogether, the Humboldt
University has eleven faculties with approximately 350 professors. It
boasts 38,000 students, and offers 168 courses. The university comprises
180 buildings, which are spread right across the city. Since the mid-1990s,
attempts have been made to concentrate the university at three main locations.
The Berlin-Mitte annex, whose buildings are close to the main building
in Unter den Linden, houses a part of the philosophical faculties, as
well as the separate faculties of law and economics. In the early 1990s, it
was calculated that a further 70,000 m² were needed. Consequently, a decision
was taken in 1992 to build a new campus for the mathematical and
natural-science faculties in Berlin-Adlershof. An additional complex is
planned for the Campus Nord location (a building close to Chausseestrasse
and Invalidenstrasse) in the future.
3. Background and motivation
In the wake of the political upheavals of 1989, a large number of structural
changes became inevitable at the Humboldt University that involved
the reconstruction of nearly all the faculties and institutes. All of the professorial
positions were re-advertised and filled. Against this background, it
seemed appropriate to conduct intensive discussions on how to reorganise
both the information structure and the related departments. The most pressing
problem fifteen years ago lay in the assignment of responsibility for
supporting the university administration with IT applications. A decision
was taken to adopt the model employed at the HU from 1970 onwards and
to assign this task to a special department at the computer centre. This decision
turned out to be correct. (This point will be taken up again below).
The planning of a new campus for the mathematical and naturalscientific
faculties at the university in Berlin-Adlershof inspired people to
seek a long-term solution in the form of an integrated information management
system. As all seven mathematical and natural scientific institutes
were supposed to relocate their teaching and research activities to Adlershof
within a period of ten years (which meant that it would soon be home
to approximately 9,000 students and a staff of around 800), it became es-