One hundred years after the appointment of Anna Tumarkin as the first female professor, the University of Bern has its first female rector, Virginia Richter. “Tumarkin’s appointment was a milestone on a long journey for women in science,” says Virginia Richter. Prominent individuals such as Marie Curie and Hannah Arendt helped shape this path and were also role models for her. “Every generation stands on the shoulders of the previous generation,” she emphasizes.

Today, about half of the members on university executive boards in Switzerland are women. “When I started my academic career, many people thought women weren’t suited to academia,” says Virginia Richter. Back then, universities were heavily male-dominated and traditional role models were the norm. But the zeitgeist changed and old thought patterns were questioned. With her scientific work, Virginia Richter broke new ground in Anglicist research, published numerous essays and books, and established herself as a recognized scientist.

She has been a professor at the University of Bern since 2007. In addition to teaching and research, she soon discovered a talent for administrative tasks – which did not go unnoticed. She became the dean first and later vice-rector. “I deliberately decided to go in a new direction and take on new challenges,” she says. She has left scientific work behind to focus on developing the university strategically – but not on her own: “I want to develop my vision in dialogue with other people.” She is keen to engage in direct dialog with students and staff. In her first few months, she already sought dialog with many people to listen to their concerns, understand their perspectives, and shape ideas together. One thing is clear for her: “Long-term changes can only be achieved by working together.” Encounters with a wide variety of people, the freedom to think about the big issues and the opportunity to initiate change continue to drive her to this day.