AUSTIN, TX, May 21, 2012—The Institute of International Education’s Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation will host a delegation of German higher education leaders for a five-day study tour in Austin, Texas on behalf of the German-American Fulbright Commission. The program will focus on universities as drivers of innovation and entrepreneurship, and will consist of workshops and site visits to public and private universities in the Austin area.
The goal of the study visit is to introduce administrators from German Universities of Applied Science to how U.S. universities have re-positioned themselves and re-defined their functions and responsibilities to cope with the growing differentiation and competition for prestige and funding. The program will focus on how higher education institutions are marketing their research and technology products, and combining this with entrepreneurial engagement, to sharpen their institutional profiles and attract the best and brightest young researchers. The German delegates will explore how universities are on their way to move from the traditional “knowledge factory” to a “knowledge hub” and in this new function becoming firmly integrated in their respective communities.
During the week, the German delegation will visit a range of institutions and meet with officials from the Texas State University, University of Texas Dallas, University of Texas Austin, Austin Community College, and Texas A&M University. The delegation will also meet with representatives of the Austin Chamber of Commerce, Greater Austin Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Austin Inventors & Entrepreneurs Association, and Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board.
Leaders of the German-American Fulbright Commission will accompany senior representatives from Leuphana University, Brandenburg University of Applied Sciences, Bielefeld University, Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg, University of Potsdam, Mannheim University of Applied Sciences, University of Applied Sciences Leipzig, Leipzig Graduate School of Management, Technical University of Dresden, Bonn-Rhein-Sieg University of Applied Sciences, Frankfurt University of Applied Sciences, and the University of Bremen.
Institute of International Education
The Institute of International Education is a world leader in the international exchange of people and ideas. An independent, nonprofit organization founded in 1919, IIE has a network of 17 offices worldwide and over 1,000 member institutions. IIE designs and implements programs of study and training for students, educators, young professionals and trainees from all sectors with funding from government agencies, foundations, and corporations. IIE also conducts policy research and program evaluations, and provides advising and counseling on international education and opportunities abroad.
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