Gneisenaustrasse 27: Welcome to the Future of Study Abroad
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On November 4, CIEE staff, U.S. and German dignitaries, and students gathered in the tree-lined courtyard of the new CIEE Global Institute - Berlin for a ribbon-cutting and grand opening celebration.
L-R: Kendall Brostuen, Michael McRobbie, Robert Fallon, Ambassador John Emerson, James Pellow, David Belt, Cansel Kiziltepe
Located at Gneisenaustrasse 27 in the heart of Berlin’s Kreuzberg district, the Global Institute - Berlin is designed to overcome the primary barriers that prevent many students from studying abroad: cost, curriculum, and culture. It integrates a student-centered living and learning facility with affordable, flexible academic programming options that allow students of all majors to design their ideal international experience. More than 120 students are currently enrolled at the Global Institute - Berlin for the fall 2015 semester.
“As the ‘city of reinvention’ Berlin is the ideal venue for us to continue to innovate the study abroad experience so that it is accessible to more students,” said James P. Pellow, Ed.D., president and chief executive officer of CIEE. “Our new campus in Kreuzberg is a portal where the United States can continue to learn from Germany through high-quality academic programs for students from all socio-economic backgrounds and countless academic majors.”
The ceremony featured reflections from:
- David Belt, executive director and founder of Macro Sea, the architecture firm that led the redesign of the Global Institute building
- Kendall Brostuen, chair of CIEE’s Academic Consortium Board
- Joël Gallegos, past chair of CIEE’s Academic Consortium Board
- Cansel Kiziltepe, member of German Parliament, Berlin Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg
- Michel Robbie, Ph.D., president of Indiana University
- Robert Fallon, chair of CIEE’s Board of Directors
Keynote speaker The Honorable John B. Emerson, U.S. Ambassador to the Federal Republic of Germany, remarked:
“Diplomacy is a conversation and educational and cultural exchanges enrich that dialogue. Both German and American alumni have told me how their exchange experiences influenced their worldviews and enabled them to see more clearly areas of common interest and ways to find common ground. I congratulate the CIEE Global Institute on this new program and thank future students and faculty in advance for their commitment to the goals that Senator Fulbright defined for the program that bears his name. Those goals apply to all exchange initiatives, namely to bring ‘a little more knowledge, a little more reason, and a little more compassion into world affairs.’”
The Honorable John B. Emerson, U.S. Ambassador to the Federal Republic of Germany, speaks during CIEE's grand opening of the Global Institute - Berlin.
Learn more about the CIEE Global Institutes.