HAUS activities From Fleet Week, brunch, national meeting and student exchanges
Whether it's a joint visit to New York Fleet Week or a cosy brunch among alumni – the Regional Chapter Chairs and Co-Chairs of HAUS, the alumni group for alumni from and in the USA, are responsible for the alumni programme in the various parts of the USA. New chairpersons are currently being sought for three chapters. The traditional HAUS National Meeting will also take place again from 24 to 29 October, where alumni from all over the country will meet and exchange ideas – not in New York as originally planned, but in a virtual meeting as an exception.
In May, New York hosts the annual "Fleet Week", during which ships from the Coast Guard, Navy and Marine Corps, as well as a number of international vessels, are anchored in Manhattan. Two German ships also took part in this year's Fleet Week from 22 to 28 May: the naval frigate “Baden-Württemberg” and the task force supply ship "Frankfurt am Main". Sarah Rice Buckner, Co-Chair of the Washington D.C. Regional Chapter, who is also an officer in the US Navy, organised a private tour of the "Baden-Württemberg" for a group of Heidelberg alumni – a unique experience for the enthusiastic participants! On 9 June, the president of the New York chapter, Nina Brandt, invited alumnae and alumni to a meeting at her home. They shared memories over good conversation and a delicious brunch in Nina's garden. Many thanks to Sarah, Nina and everyone who attended the two events!
A big thank you for their voluntary work goes to all the (co-)chairs of the regional chapters! In addition to Nina and Sarah, these are John Dillon, Edward Potash and Christoph Stokowski in Chicago, Mark Peeples in Ohio, Anita Heeren in Philadelphia, Stephanie Cabell and Rada Carmichael in Washington, D.C., and last but not least Heike Krantz and Siegfried Ruppert in Heidelberg. We are delighted that these creative and enthusiastic chairpersons keep the regional chapters active and lively! For three other chapters – Boston, Southern California and Northern California – we are currently looking for new chairpersons to organise cultural or academic events or simply a nice get-together about three to four times a year. This is also possible in cooperation with another organisation such as the Goethe-Institut, the German-American Chamber of Commerce or the local university. Afterwards, one or more photos and a short description of the event should be sent to HAUS so that they can be published on social media channels and in alumni newsletters. In addition, chairpersons regularly receive information of interest to their chapter during virtual meetings with HAUS leadership. So if you're looking for a fun and rewarding way to connect with Heidelberg alumni in the U.S., if you want to build your leadership skills, or if you're full of event ideas, email Melanie Grossmann, Project Officer in the New York office. She looks forward to hearing from you!
Please save the date: This year's HAUS National Meeting will take place from 24 to 29 October. Originally, the meeting was planned to be held in New York City, but this would have been difficult after the departure of Amanda Daquila, the former director of the Heidelberg University Association office in New York: Firstly, the time that would have been taken up planning this event was needed to find a successor, and secondly, it became apparent that the New York office would not be fully staffed during the crucial planning phase. HAUS and HAI therefore jointly made the difficult decision to offer a series of virtual events instead of the face-to-face meeting in New York in order to avoid having to cancel the meeting. We have already had good experience with this virtual emergency solution during the corona pandemic and are well practised in it – so we hope for your understanding and a nice virtual meeting before we meet again in person at the National Meeting in 2025! "We will announce detailed information on the programme in good time in the autumn," Kathleen Lance, President of HAUS, informed HAUS members by email.
For student exchanges between Heidelberg and the USA, Heidelberg University has bilateral exchange programmes with 17 US universities, and the university also participates in the five Baden-Württemberg state programmes with a total of 46 participating universities in Connecticut, California, North Carolina, Massachusetts and Oregon. Through these programmes, US students come to Heidelberg and Heidelberg students can get to know academic life at US universities. Mutual tips for studying and living in the other country are of course very useful, so the Department of International Relations at Heidelberg University regularly organises events where both groups can come into contact with each other – as was the case on 16 July 2024, when the department invited students to the Mark Twain Center for Transatlantic Relations in Heidelberg's Südstadt district. Dr Uwe Wenzel, Director of the Center, first gave the 55 or so participants at the event – who were either about to embark on their studies in the USA, had just completed a stay in the USA or were about to return to the USA from their studies in Heidelberg – a tour of the premises in the former European headquarters of the US armed forces, which now serve as a place for German-American dialogue. During the subsequent networking among the students, HAI staff member Kristiina Iso-Kokkila introduced the HAI network and HAUS and explained the benefits of membership for students and alumni. During the 2023/2024 academic year, a total of 57 US students and 55 Heidelberg students were guests at Ruperto Carola or at a US university for one or two semesters via the university exchange programmes; in the following academic year, 45 Heidelberg students are expected to go to the USA.
