Press release: Seeking friends in Göttingen to host international students

Nr. 46/2012 - 03.04.2012

Initiative sponsored by the Göttingen Research Campus to offer activities and liaison services

(pug) The research institutions of the Göttingen Research Campus, in mutual collaboration, aim to support an initiative to bring together international students and interested host families. Under the motto “Göttingen friends host international students”, guests and host families will be given the opportunity to become better acquainted with other countries and cultures, and also be able to practice foreign languages during their joint activities. The institutions participating in the initiative include Göttingen University itself, the five Max Planck Institutes of the region, the German Primate Centre and the HAWK University of Applied Sciences and Arts along with Göttingen Student’s Association, Student’s Union (AStA), the Göttingen Protestant student community, the Göttingen Catholic university community and the City of Göttingen.

“Many university locations offers similar initiatives and their members are thrilled about the new and exciting prospects to meet people,” says Professor Hiltraud Casper-Hehne, Vice President for Research and International Affairs at Göttingen University. “We are currently seeking citizens of our city who are interested in supporting and helping us launch this new initiative. The university will also support the project financially.” During their stay in Germany, plenty of international students would like to have contact to “surrogate families” who help them get acclimated to the place they are studying in and assimilated into a culture that is still foreign to them. “There is so much we can learn from each other! We gain true insights into other cultures, but also make new friends,” adds Petja Ivanova, a law student from Bulgaria.

Last year, there were more than 2,700 international students enrolled in Bachelor’s, Master’s and doctoral degree programmes at Göttingen University. In addition approximately 110 international students are enrolled at the HAWK in Göttingen.

Parties interested in helping set up the “Göttingen friends host international students” project should please contact the Göttingen Catholic university community: Daniela Ramb, phone (0551) 48 87 60 (Tuesdays to Fridays from 10:00 to 13:00 CET), e-mail ramb@khg-goettingen.de.

Contact address:
Professor Hiltraud Casper-Hehne
Georg-August University Göttingen
Vice President of Research and International Affairs
Wilhelmsplatz 1, 37073 Göttingen, Germany
Phone (0551) 39-12184, Fax (0551) 39-4520
E-mail: hiltraud.casper-hehne@zvw.uni-goettingen.de
Website: www.uni-goettingen.de/en/110984.html