Recent News

Alumna, Christine Meier, visited campus on April 3 to give a German Career Session to our German majors and minors and any students, interested in German Studies. Christine received a B.A. from ISU in International Business with a concentration in Marketing and German in 2004 and is currently involved with German-based renewable energy companies and their activities in theUnited States. Her presentation on her successful career [including her work with the German American Chamber of Commerce in Chicago and study/internship abroad experiences with the prestigious Congress Bundestag Youth Exchange program] was very inspiring and well received by our students.

During the week of September 12-15, Professor Weeks and the Department of Languages, Literatures, and Cultures, together with other departments and colleges at ISU, organized a series of five presentations related to the European Union. The speakers included the Consul General of France, the deputy chief of mission of Denmark, and authors Steven Hill and Thomas Geoghegan. The topics ranged from “The EU as an Agent of Peaceful and Democratic Change,” “Green Europe,” “Work and Well Being in Europe,” to the European social and economic systems. The presentations were all well attended.  One presentation, given within the context of the International Studies Seminar, had a record number in attendance.  Podcasts of the presentations and related materials may be used in formulating an essay for a high school essay contest.  Please take a look at the EU Week Website.

Brianna Coleman (not pictured), Adam Gebler, Megan Braffet and Kyle Whisenhunt (not pictured) all received the German Alumni New Student Scholarship.
Kristofer Lindsey (not pictured) was the recipient of the David J. Parent Scholarship.

The German program offers two specific opportunities for study abroad in Germany, one at the University of Bonn and another at the University of Paderborn.  With each of these universities, ISU has a long-standing partnership. 

Students who elect to study in Bonn or Paderborn apply here at ISU and have all arrangments, including a record of grades and courses taken in Germany, made through the Offices of International Studies here and at the partner school.  Students have sometimes chosen to apply to other German universities, but make all arrangements for study and housing themselves and are responsible for all documentation of grades for courses taken there.  Of course, universities in Austria or Switzerland are possibilities as well, but would likewise require the student to work out all details her- or himself.  Anyone interested in this option should have pre-approval from the director of German study abroad Professor J.M. van der Laan. 

Typically, ISU students will study for a semester or a year abroad.  The fall or Winter semester usually begins in October, the spring or Sommer semester in April.  Because the semesters are not entirely in synch with each other, most students select the spring/Sommer semester to live in Germany.  Each student must decide which German university will suit him or her best.  While the Unversity of Bonn is somewhat larger, the University of Paderborn is somewhat smaller than ISU.  And whereas the city of Bonn sits on the banks of the Rhein with a population of about 320,000, the city of Paderborn lies on a plateau among the hills of East Westphalia with a population of about 145,000.  Each of these cities and areas of Germany is itself rich in history, but also located so that other parts of Germany and Europe are easily accessible. 

C.o.G.S. (the coalition of German students) meets multiple times during the week. This is a club that is open to everyone who has an interest in German. On Tuesday evenings at four o’clock the club meets for Kaffeestunde (coffee hour) at The Coffee House in uptown Normal.

 Every other Wednesday evening at seven o’clock in Stevenson 202 is a showing of a German film in German with English subtitles. On Thursday evenings at six o’clock is Stammtisch (the regular’s table) at Medici in uptown Normal. For further questions or for more information, please contact Kendra Maxwell at kjmaxwe@ilstu.edu.