It is immensely gratifying that Austria’s Federal Ministry of Education, Science and Research has once again awarded a Diversitas Prize to the mdw! It was in 2016 that the mdw received its first Diversitas Prize for “All Stars Inclusive”, an inclusive band that has continued its activities at the mdw ever since.

The mdw now has a publishing house of its very own: as of March 2021, the growing number of university presses in Austria and Europe is being joined by the open access academic publisher mdwPress.

Online professorship search committee hearings, digital entrance exams, blended learning—the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic has catalysed the digitisation process in education. And at the mdw, the Audio/Video Centre—part of the University’s Information Technology Department (ZID)—has been a strong institution-wide partner in these trying times.

Elisabeth Stein, who teaches at the Department of Music and Movement Education/Rhythmics and Music Physiology, relates her experiences with COVID-19.

The mdw held its second-ever celebration of Human Rights Day on 10 December 2019 with a panel discussion addressing the themes of human rights, equality, and anti-discrimination.

On 29 November 2019, the Music and Minorities Research Center (MMRC) was formally and festively opened following a several-month conceptual phase.

The fact that gender identity and sexual orientation play a role in the workplace is demonstrated by a recent study on “Workplace Situations of LGBTI Individuals in Austria” commissioned by the Vienna Chamber of Labour.

Be it about having credits for previous coursework transferred at the beginning of one’s studies at the mdw, or receiving one’s academic degree at the end: all students, sooner or later, come into contact with the mdw’s director of studies.