ZEvA – your agency for quality assurance in the education sector
As a charitable foundation, ZEvA's purpose is to take care of quality assurance in the tertiary education sector and to promote quality development in teaching and learning. ZEvA supports higher education institutions in private or public ownership that aim to offer internationally comparable quality in research, teaching and scientific continuing education.
How it all began
ZEvA was founded in 1995 by the Lower Saxony Conference of Higher Education Institutions (LHK) and the Lower Saxony Ministry of Science and Culture (MWK) as the "Central Evaluation Agency" and installed as part of the University of Hannover as a public institution of the state. In 1998, ZEvA was the first agency to introduce accreditation, was accredited by the newly founded Accreditation Council in 2000 and was also approved for system accreditation in 2008. In 2009, ZEvA was converted into a foundation under public law of the state of Lower Saxony.
1995
ZEvA was founded as the "Central Evaluation Agency" by the LHK and MWK of Lower Saxony with the task of evaluating teaching and learning at the higher education institutions in Lower Saxony.
Prof. Dr. Hinrich Seidel appointed as scientific director and Hermann Reuke as managing director.
1998
Foundation of a separate department for accreditation, development of procedure and criteria for programme accreditation and implementation of the first procedures.
Renaming as "Central Evaluation and Accreditation Agency".
2000
First German agency to be accredited by the Accreditation Council
Foundation of the Standing Accreditation Commission (SAK)
Foundation of ENQA with ZEvA as founding member
2001
Prof. Dr. Rainer Künzel becomes scientific director of ZEvA
Cooperation in the Joint Quality Initiative in the development of the "Dublin Descriptors”
2002
Foundation of the European Institute for Quality Assurance (EIQA)
2003
Foundation of ECA with ZEvA as a founding member
2008
Accreditation Council also approves ZEvA for the new procedure of system accreditation
Foundation of a separate working area System Accreditation and the Commission for System Accreditation (KIA)
2009
Transformation of ZEvA into a foundation under German Civil Law of the State of Lower Saxony. Establishment of a Foundation Council
2012
Dissolution of EIQA, EIQA/ZEvA conference in Loccum "Studying and Teaching according to Bologna".
2013
Approval of ZEvA in Austria to carry out quality audits in accordance with the Austrian Higher Education Quality Assurance Act.
2014
Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Lücke becomes academic director of ZEvA
Foundation of a separate working area for International Procedures of the Commission for International Affairs (KIA)
Cooperation agreement with AKKORK for the joint implementation of accreditation procedures in Russia (currently suspended due to the Ukraine war)
2016
First-time implementation of a joint seminar with the DAAD
2018
Approval for accreditation procedures according to the State Study Accreditation Treaty and MRVO
Merger of SAK, KSA and KIA into the ZEvA Commission
ZEvA becomes a member of CEENQA
2019
Henning Schäfer becomes Managing Director of ZEvA
The agency structure
The agency is managed by the Executive Board, consisting of the Scientific Director and the Managing Director. These are appointed by the Foundation Council, which in turn is determined by the State University Conference and the Ministry of Science and Culture. ZEvA's committees include the ZEvA Commission, which is responsible for all accreditations and certifications, the Permanent Evaluation Commission and the Appeals Commission.
