The U.S. delegation consisted of twenty-four administrators from around the country focusing on international programming, career services, alumni relations and fundraising.

The group met for the first time in Berlin. After a tour of the city, we attended our orientation with Mr. Reiner Rohr, chief of the American Program Unit at the Fulbright Commission. Mr. Rohr explained that we would have a full schedule of events each day and gave us an overview of German business etiquette – what to expect at meetings, at restaurants, and when traveling. Following the orientation, the Commission hosted us for a brief dinner before we retired to prepare for twelve days of intense meetings and travel.

Our first order of business was to become familiar with the basic concepts of the German higher education system. In 1999, Germany signed the Bologna Declaration, which called for the creation of standardized academic degrees and education quality assurance throughout Europe. To this end, German institutions have begun to integrate Bachelor's and Master's degrees into the university system; ultimately, these degrees will replace the current Diplom and Magister, which are both five-year degrees. Clearly, the introduction of a two-tier degree system requires a great deal of alteration in current university curricula, which must be completed by 2010, according to the Bologna Declaration. Additionally, universities must institute a cumulative Grade Point Average (GPA) system to facilitate credit transfer between universities, exchange program participation, and additional post-graduate study.

The effects of the Bologna Declaration can also be felt in primary and secondary education in Germany. In order to get students into universities at an earlier age, students will attend primary and secondary schools for twelve years rather than thirteen years, as they do now. The result of this change is that students must learn the same amount of information in less time, causing teachers to rewrite curricula. While these changes will be difficult for educators across the country, many believe that the benefits of a more uniform European system will be well-worth the effort.

Beyond the Bologna process, another major difference between U.S. and German universities is the issue of tuition. While tuition rates seem to be skyrocketing in the U.S., some German universities are only beginning to charge tuition. Until recently, all public universities were funded by the government, thus leaving students to pay for their room, board and other personal expenses. A few public universities now charge up to €500 per semester, but the question of tuition is still quite controversial, both for students and academic institutions. Many students question why they must now pay tuition after those before them did not, and institutions that do charge tuition question whether their government support will remain steady or diminish in the future.

After our introduction to the German education system, we broke up into subgroups to visit various campuses around Berlin. My group traveled to Humboldt University, the oldest university in Berlin and one of the most prestigious in Germany. During our time on campus, we met with officials from the international programs office, alumni relations, and the career center. Our group was surprised to learn that many German universities are only beginning to develop relationships with their alumni. While the exact reason for this late development is still being discussed, some believe that it is because German students identify more with the town or region they live in rather than the university they attend. During our conversation with students from Humboldt, we learned that students often turn to the community for social activities, and thus live most of their non-academic lives outside of the institution. In fact, when one walks around the Humboldt University campus, it would be difficult to find a student wearing any kind of apparel advertising the name of the university. When we asked the students about this phenomenon, which is so different than the atmosphere on many U.S. campuses, they replied that this was just one more example of how students identify more strongly with fashion-conscious Berlin versus Humboldt University.

After exploring the Humboldt campus, our visit to European University Viadrina in Frankfurt (Oder) helped us understand the diversity in institutions around Germany. Located on the German-Polish border, Viadrina was re-established as a university in 1991. The institution was originally established in 1506, but was closed after a series of location changes and destruction during World War II. Even though the university is “young,” and much smaller than Humboldt, it has a strong leader in President Gesine Schwan, who ran for the presidency of Germany in 2004.

Because of the university's proximity to the German-Polish border, many students travel back and forth between Germany and Poland each day for classes or to return to their apartments. This daily, dual-national existence was nothing of consequence to the students, and I enjoyed relating this to American students upon my return – traveling to another country to go to class seemed like an unfathomable concept to most of them.

Following a brief meeting with representatives from German parliament, I traveled from Berlin to Dresden with a smaller subgroup. During a short tour of the city, we were able to more fully understand the destruction that occurred in Dresden during the Second World War. A large percentage of the city, including many historic buildings, was destroyed and later rebuilt. The resulting picture is a clash between historic and modern socialist-style architecture throughout the city.

During this time, one of our hosts was Studentenwerk Dresden, a division of the private company that provides all housing, food service and financial aid for university students. While Studentenwerk works closely with the universities, they are a separate entity that students must approach on their own if they wish to have a dorm room or secure financial aid. We stayed in a dormitory owned by Studentenwerk, their “International House,” which is available for short or long-term stays. We also toured several other dormitories which varied in space and amenities based on the monthly rent. We also ate in one of Studentenwerk's mensen, a cafeteria located on campus offering low-cost food options for students.

Our next stop was Munich, a prosperous city located in the heart of Bavaria. We met with officials from Technical University of Munich (TUM), one of Germany's leading research institutions. Over 10 percent of the student population of TUM is international students; I had the pleasure of meeting with a University of Illinois student who had just arrived to study at TUM. We spoke at length about his course of study, his experiences when he arrived in Germany and enrolled for classes, and the advantages of studying abroad. My impression was that while some short period of adjustment was needed, this student was very pleased with his decision to finish his engineering degree at TUM because he knew this international experience would be invaluable to him later when he enters the job market.

Our journey ended in Frankfurt with a brief visit to the Johann Wolfgang Goethe University and a debriefing session with Mr. Rohr and Executive Director Dr. Rolf Hoffmann. The U.S. administrators all agreed that the connections we had formed on the trip, both with our German counterparts and with each other, would be lasting and provide valuable assistance in our future professional endeavors. In our exploration of the German education system, we learned about the people and the culture of this great nation. We started our voyage as individuals, but returned home as part of the “Fulbright family.”

For information on how to apply for the Fulbright U.S.-Germany International Education Administrators Program, please visit www.cies.org.