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Dr. Verena Bernardi - English and American Studies Academic Administrator
From Business Administration to Vampire Studies
Verena Bernardi is probably one of very few people to have taken this particular change of direction. She began studying business administration at Saarland University in 2003, mostly because she didn't know what to study. She then decided to switch to English Studies and Romance Languages and Literature a semester later. After completing her Magister, Verena worked for a short time in an educational institution here in Saarbrücken before she was offered the chance to return to the English Department, this time as an academic research associate. 'I gladly accepted the offer because I really enjoyed studying the subject and because I wasn't quite sure what I should do with a double major in two foreign languages.'
After returning from her first parental leave, Verena Bernardi began her doctorate in American Studies under the supervision of Professor Astrid Fellner. Once she completed her doctorate, Verena participated in Saarland University's executive track programme and landed a position after successfully completing the programme. How does she like her role? 'I have to say, I couldn't wish for a better job. This is my absolute dream job, not only because of the work itself, but also because of my colleagues. My job couldn't be better and I enjoy going to work every day.'
'As academic administrator, I act as a liaison between mid-level academic staff, professors and the faculty management team.'
Verena Bernardi's role largely consists of working with the executive head of the department to manage the department's budget, finances and personnel. She also supervises student assistants and part-time external teaching staff and teaches courses herself. She is also an active researcher. 'I don't take it for granted that I also have the opportunity to conduct research in my role. I really enjoy being able to publish my own research projects.'
One of her research topics in particular stands out: Vampire Studies. 'I always enjoyed reading literature from that genre during my maternity leave, I also watched a lot of shows in the genre. After my daughter was born, I read a lot of academic writing on the topic, particularly about Interview with a Vampire, which I found incredibly interesting. I decided to take the next step when my husband encouraged me, saying, "You should do something with that, it really interests you." After discussing it with my boss, Professor Astrid M. Fellner, who offered me her support, I decided to start researching the subject. Once I began, I figured out I could easily fill three years researching vampires in TV shows.'
A normal day for Verena Bernardi begins the same way it does for many people with office jobs. She gets up, brings her children to school and pre-school, takes the dog out for a quick walk and leaves for the office at around half past eight. Then she answers emails, takes meetings and answers questions from students. During the semester, she also teaches classes. Verena usually leaves work again at around 3.30 p.m. to pick up her kids – although she also finishes up a task or two from home when necessary.
How would she describe Saarland University as an employer? Secure, friendly and underfunded in many areas. 'Secure in the sense that once you have a position here, you have a secure job, but also that I feel safe here. I say friendly because I feel like all of the different departments get along. I've been lucky in that up until now, I haven't run into anybody who wasn't friendly. And underfunded. Budget cuts have affected many departments, particularly the humanities. But also administration, at the University IT Centre (HIZ) – all places where you really feel it. It has been affecting both academics directly as well as the services and departments that keep education running smoothly.'
'The changes we have seen in recent years, like those we saw as a result of the pandemic, have been really positive, in my opinion. We trust each other more.'
Verena says Saarland University makes it much easier to balance family duties, career and free time, especially compared to jobs in the private sector. She lists the ability to work from home as an example, an option that is particularly attractive for parents. 'Here you don't have the strict nine-to-five schedule or have to begin exactly at 8 a.m. and wait until 4 p.m., whether you have something to do or not. It's a give and take. Some days you have more to do and you work later and on others you can even it out. And of course, you can work on parts of your research from home. The changes we have seen in recent years, like those we saw as a result of the pandemic, have been really positive, in my opinion. We trust each other more. That is especially true for my supervisors. We saw that work gets done, even when we aren't working on campus. Trust was strengthened on both ends, which is worth a lot.'
Verena Bernardi began her journey at the university as a student research assistant, which allowed her to learn more about the structure of the university and everything that goes on 'in the background' that students or people outside of the university might not know about. Of course, until you've peeked behind the scenes of the uni as an employer yourself, you never really understand how complicated these structures can be and how much work is involved in many university processes. 'As a student, you totally underestimate the role that administration plays. You think that you will enrol and voilà, just like that, already be in the system. Or you think that surely your grades will already be entered and, of course, you don't know that the process involves several stages and that sometimes it takes a while, for example, because someone is sick.'
Highlights and lowlights: 'It's the people that count.'
Of course, not everything is always perfect and there are things that could work better. For Verena Bernardi, one of those things is the funding, or better said, the underfunding affecting mid-level academic staff due to necessary budget cuts. She uses research as an example, specifically attending conferences. ‘We have seen some improvements because of Erasmus+ staff mobility, for example. But I still wish more was being done to enable teaching staff to further their research. We simply enjoy researching and like to learn and stay up to date on the latest developments in our fields. But when those of us who focus on British or American literature and culture can only attend conferences in German-speaking or nearby countries because of limited funding, that is disappointing.’
Still, when asked about the highlights of her work, Verena Bernardi knew right away. 'We are a very small department. The group of mid-level academic staff teaching in the language section is only seven people. But we aren't just colleagues, we are friends. We invite each other to spend time together and try to go out to eat together regularly. I don't think you can say that about every job and it really is a highlight to be able to say that I have a lot of friends here at work.'
To learn more about Dr. Verena Bernardi's research, please visit: Dr. Verena Bernardi | Anglistik und Amerikanistik | Universität des Saarlandes