Board News

The Commission and the Secretariat welcome Dr. Thomas Götz who succeeds Rolf-Dieter Schnelle in the German Foreign Office. Dr. Götz holds the position of Deputy Director-General for Research and Academic Relations Policy in the German Foreign Office. He also serves as vice chair of the German-American Fulbright Commission.

Pam DeVolder was appointed as successor to Ruth Anne Stevens-Klitz and took up her position as Assistant Cultural Affairs Officer in the U.S. Embassy and on the Fulbright Board.

Dr. Rolf Peter from the German Rectors’ Conference succeeds Dr. Michael Harms who left the Fulbright Board in April 2008.

We would like to take this opportunity to thank those leaving for their  commitment and welcome the new members to the Board.

Diversity Initiative
For the third year in a row the Fulbright Commission has successfully conducted summer institutes in cooperation with three American universities. In 2008 altogether 34 students with an immigrant background, from countries such as Marocco to Vietnam and Ukraine to Ethiopia, were awarded with a Diversity Initiative Scholarship. The grantees had the opportunity to learn about U.S. society and culture, to join in voluntary community work, to experience real American campus life, and to improve their English skills. Read more...

American Studies Institute
From September 14 to 27, 2008 a group of 15 German scholars teaching American Studies or disciplines related to the program topic were hosted by San Francisco State University to participate in our 2-week American Studies Institute. In light of the U.S. elections this year, as theme for the Institute we chose “Understanding U.S. Political Culture: The U.S. Elections of 2008 and their Historical Context”. Read more…

Educational Experts
In fall 2008 our Educational Experts series featured two U.S. based seminars directed at German university leaders. Co-sponsored by the Stifterverband für die Deutsche Wissenschaft the seminars addressed questions and concerns about the future of the German higher education system and explored how U.S. universities may serve as models for the university reform developments underway in Germany.

Our 1-week Educational Experts Seminar from September 29 to October 3, 2008 addressed “Teaching Young Talent: The Importance of Excellence in University Teaching” and invited 18 German university leaders to visit selected state and private universities in North Carolina and in Chicago. Read more …

Our educational expert seminar "Graduate Schools in the U.S." led a group of 15 German university leaders to Boston´s higher education area to study “Graduate Schools in the U.S.”. The seminar took place from October 27 to 31 and offered the German experts important insights into the structure and governance of graduate schools at several private and public universities. Read more…

American Programs
85 American university students, 33 professors, 6 journalists and 140 English language Teaching Assistants have accepted the Fulbright awards for the program year 2008/09. Most American Fulbrighters have arrived in Germany and have attended orientation meetings in Marburg, Göttingen and Berlin. The forthcoming Presidential Elections in the United States give these American scholars an additional function as unofficial ambassadors of the United States.

Upcoming Special Programs

Seminar for U.S. Administrators
From October 26 to November 8, 2008 a group of 25 American University Administrators will visit Berlin and other university cities in Germany. The program introduces them to the German system of higher education in addition to other cultural, political and economic aspects on Germany.

Berlin Capital Program
The 2008 Berlin Capital Program organized by the German-American Fulbright Commission on behalf of the German Foreign Office, invites 15 young American journalists and students of journalism to Germany to participate in an intensive series of seminars, presentations, and visits to important German media and German political and cultural institutions. The 1-week seminar takes place November 16-21, 2008. Read more…

Teacher Spring Seminars 2009
For the second time the Commission organizes two seminars for German (March 28 - April 18) and American (May 30 - June 20) High School teachers respectively. The groups of about 20 teachers will spend three weeks in the host country for professional development and school visits, including one week to visit new potential partner schools. The seminar for German teachers will be based at Pennsylvania State University, State College and the program for American teachers at Potsdam University. These programs have been made possible by substantial financial support from the European Recovery Program (ERP) of the German Ministry for Economics and Technology (BMWi) .