Fulbright U.S. Administrators in Germany Program

Today was filled with meetings. Karsten Voigt, a former member of the Bundestag and the Federal Foreign Office, talked about the role of Germany in the world and in particular transatlantic relationships. He was joined by Brent Goff, who was born in North Carolina, but works for Deutsche Welle TV. It was clear that Germany is playing and will continue to play an increasingly major role in the world, whether it wants to or not. Both speakers were very concerned about what is happening in the United States and in the United Kingdom. Inse Böhmig from Humboldt-Universität described how refugees are being integrated in German higher education. Germany’s universities have developed extensive programming to help support refugees, which mainly come from Syria. These programs and the record number of students are straining university resources, but the open-armed approach adopted by Germany toward refugees is very impressive.

There are two programs that were discussed that were new to me, but would make excellent opportunities for our Honors students. The Chancellors Fellowship Program offered through the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation is a program directed towards undergraduates that have the potential to be future leaders. The Berlin Capital Program offered by the Fulbright Foundation is a great opportunity for future journalists interested in learning more about Germany.

In the evening, I went to see the most amazing performance of Die Zauberflöte at Deutsche Oper Berlin. The words of the quintet in Act 1 have as much relevance now as when Emanuel Schikaneder wrote them in the 18th century. They also connected with the comments shared by the speakers in the morning.

If only every liar had a lock like this upon his mouth:
Then would hate, calumny, and rancor
Be replaced by love and brotherhood!