Alumni Connect 2.0 - International Education Week Event

November 16, 2009

Berlin
Ambassador Philip D. Murphy

Guten Abend! Ich freue mich Sie alle zu unserer Alumni Connect 2.0 Veranstaltung begruessen zu koennen, welche wir im Rahmen der „International Education Week“ veranstalten. Die „International Education Week“ ist eine Moeglichkeit die Vorteile des globalen Austausches zu wuerdigen. In einer Welt, die immer weiter zusammen waechst muss Bildung auch eine internationale Dimension haben – nicht als Nebeneffekt, sondern als Anspruch an alle Faechergruppen, von den Sozialwissenschaften ueber Mathematik bis zur Kunst. Bei Sprachen liegt das ja in der Natur der Sache.
 
Lernen ist ein lebenslanger Prozess. Sogar im Alter von 52 arbeite ich noch an meinem Deutsch – und das ist schwer. Aber da Sie alle heute hier schon einmal in den Vereinigten Staaten waren und an einem Austauschprogramm teilgenommen haben, hoffe ich, dass Sie nichts dagegen haben, wenn ich auf Englisch weitermache.   

As alumni of U.S. exchange programs, you’re in very good company.  As you may know, President Barack Obama’s father was an exchange student who came to the United States from Kenya on a scholarship.  President Obama knows that exchanges and education have always been an important way that America engages the world, and he is very interested in new ways to connect to young people all around the world.  So on the President’s behalf, I would like to thank you for the interest you have shown in the United States. 

Tonight’s event brings together alumni of several of our U.S. exchange programs – the Windows on America program, the German American Partnership Program, the Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange for Young Professionals, and the Youth Visitor program.  Although many of you know one another from your own individual exchange experiences, we wanted to bring all of you together so you can network and engage with the broader alumni community and continue the dialogue.

Tonight we also have a special treat: A group of students from the Ernst Reuter Gesamtschule, Berlin, who participated in a project called Dancing to Connect – The Fall of the Wall organized by the New York-based Battery Dance Company, will perform for us. They have just recently returned from their 10-day tour in New York, where they received rave reviews.  I am eagerly looking forward to the performance!   

The Dancing to Connect team is well aware of the power of art to move people and to bring them closer together.  First Lady Michelle Obama recently commented on this very topic, when she invited 15 organizations that conduct cultural projects for young people to the White House.  She praised the projects because, as she said, they did not just connect young people with music, dance, poetry and drama, they connected people.  They didn’t just show young people the power of their imagination, they showed them the power of discipline and hard work and of teamwork.  I am sure all of you “Dancing to Connect” participants have become better dancers.   But I bet you have also become better students, better leaders, and better citizens.   And because of the international element, better global citizens.

I am sure that also holds true for everyone here tonight.  Today’s students need to be global citizens prepared to work together to solve challenges that cross borders.  Two weeks ago, I had the honor of listening to Chancellor Angela Merkel as she spoke to the U.S. Congress. 

Amerika, hat sie gesagt, war fuer  sie bis 1989 schier unerreichbar.  Trotzdem war sie begeistert für den American Dream – die Möglichkeit für jeden, Erfolg zu haben, durch eigene Anstrengungen es zu etwas zu bringen.

Listening to Chancellor Merkel, it became clear to me that one of the most important things about international education is how it can break down walls. 

In today’s world, the line that separates national or local matters from those that are international is increasingly blurred.  Countries are connected in ways never thought possible before.   Technology has revolutionized the ease with which we can communicate with one another – for example, through Facebook and Twitter.  Today we are unveiling a new Facebook page to share information on exchange and study opportunities in the United States.  You can sign up and become a fan – or a friend – at the end of this program.  We hope that you as alumni will use the page to encourage others to consider an exchange program in the United States. 

Today we are also inaugurating a new EducationUSA Student Outreach Corps to supplement our regular EducationUSA advising services.  We hope that you, as alumni, will consider getting involved in this initiative as well. 

Today you are going to learn about just a sample of our exchange programs and advising services.  We are doing a lot.  That is what President Obama wants.  As we speak, the Institute of International Education in New York is holding a press conference to release the findings from Open Doors 2009, the annual report on international student exchanges.  One of the great highlights of the report is the section on Germany.  Over the course of the past year, the number of German students in the United States has increased by almost 10%.   Did any of the alumni present today study in the U.S. in 2008-09?  Yes?  Well, are talking about you.  For American students, the figure increased by 12%.  Looking at Europe as a whole, the increase was just under 5 percent.  The credit goes to exchange organizations and the increased efforts by our EducationUSA advisers here at the Embassy, at our Consulates, and the German-American Institutes around the country.  

Aber der Dank geht auch an Sie als Alumni. Gehen Sie raus und erzaehlen Sie Ihren Freunden, was Sie in den USA gelernt haben. Bleiben Sie mit Ihren neuen Freunden in Verbindung – und mit uns, durch die State Alumni website oder facebook. Vielen Dank fuer Ihre Initiative und Ihren Enthusiasmus.

Vielen Dank für Ihre Aufmerksamkeit!