Fulbright Friday…written on a Wednesday!

Hello, this is April Seehafer from Washington State University, reporting from our 2024 Study Tour. Today was yet another day of adventures and learning in Germany, including a visit with Fulbright officials and recipients.

The weather in Berlin has been absolutely gorgeous so far and we started another warm day bright and early! After 22,000+ steps yesterday, it was a delight to catch the bus right across the street from our hotel. We headed over to the German American Fulbright Commission, where we met with Ms. Catharina Hänsch, Program Officer American Programs, Ms. Kerstin Klopp-Koch, Coordinator Special Programs, and several current Fulbright grantees. Fulbright Germany digital board welcoming NAFAnsOur program began with a brief history of the Fulbright program within Germany–the formal agreement was signed in 1952, just seven years after the end of World War II–along with an acknowledgment that some of Senator Fulbright’s beliefs and voting record are not congruent with the goals and ideals of the Fulbright program. I appreciated the fact that our German hosts have not been interested in shying away from difficult historical conversations.

We then moved into a conversation about the numerous Fulbright programs available within Germany. A few takeaways:

  • Like every Fulbright program, the commission is very interested in selecting real people with real personalities, not just applicants who are trying to “check the boxes” with their application materials.
  • If an applicant is trying to decide between Germany and Austria, the stipend is a little bit higher in Austria. However, Germany does allow some ETAs to take courses for free from German public universities.
  • Applicants are encouraged to mention aspects of their lives, especially if they are working to pay for school, if they are involved in care work, and/or engaged within their current communities.
  • ETA applicants also are encouraged to share how they will engage the youth in their classrooms in English.
Breakout sessions after the initial presentation and question and answer session gave us all the time to chat in small groups with current Fulbrighters, who represented ETA, study/ research, and young professional journalist program award recipients. Of course, these individuals were bright, motivated, and very engaging. (We would expect nothing less!) I think it was a relief to veteran FPAs and newer advisors alike to hear that several Fulbright proposals did not exactly match what recipients ended up doing in-country. Like all good Fulbrighters, they showed their flexibility and dynamism in adapting projects as necessary once folks arrived and started their work in Germany.
NAFAns eating lunch in Germany.Many of us sought shade for our quick lunch as it was approaching 26 degrees C (80 F), then we headed over to the Berlin School of Economics and Law, a University of Applied Sciences UAS7 Institution, where we met with Ms. Johanna Rieloff, Welcome Center, Dr. Silke Bustamante, Vice President, Ingrid Sperber, Director of the International Office, Katja Zuhlsdorf, Coordinator of Short-term Programs, Vincent Bruin, Student Counseling Services, and three current international students.

NAFAns touring the Berlin School of Economics and Law

A key aspect of applied sciences universities is their practice-oriented approach. Here, students attend classes yet also have hands-on internships with companies in their academic field.  I would encourage those reading this blog to check out some of the summer and winter school programs offered by the Berlin School of Economics and Law, as they might appeal to your own students or to faculty who are interested in helping build partnerships and pipelines to German institutions.
After hearing from the current students who shared perspectives on networking, housing challenges within Berlin (and across Europe), and a little bit about life as a student in Germany, we had time for dinner and then caught the train to Weimar. I predict hotel sink laundry is in the future for several of us, but now it’s time for bed as we have another early morning tomorrow!