We would like to extend our thank you to the President of the Deutsches Haus, Mr. Keith Oldendorf, for the very generous support the organization has shown  to UNO students who are studying in a German speaking country. The Deutsches Haus has given scholarships totaling $5,000 to UNO in order to help students off-set the costs of studying abroad. The driving force behind this wonderful opportunity was Professor emeritus Dr. Charles Hadley, UNO Department of Political Science, and the person who made it happen is Mr. Keith Oldendorf.
 
We are very grateful for their support and generosity!

In the morning of May 13 a group of 15 young European leaders from politics, government, business and the media visited CenterAustria at the University of New Orleans as part of their 3-week tour through the United States and visit of New Orleans concluding their sojourn.

This group came to the U.S. under the auspices of the notable “International Visitor Leadership Program” of the U.S. Department of State. In New Orleans the European groups were particularly interested in homeland security and recovery efforts and the role of activists in social issues. The two-hour program organized by CenterAustria briefed them on current issues in U.S. – European relations, including President Obama’s foreign and health reform policies, as well as religion in politics.

The UNO briefers were Gűnter Bischof (History), Walter Lane (Economics), Charles Hadley (Political Science), Peter Moser (Ambassador-in-Residence and Marshall Plan Chair), as well as Marion Wieser (Tulane University, Political Science). The distinguished group of European leaders hailing from a dozen different countries asked sharp questions such as the income gap in the U.S., the future of SDI, Obama’s current political standing and his seeming passivity in foreign policy issues, and the violence among pro-life activists in the U.S and spawned some lively debates.

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Spring 2010 Center Austria group.

Center Austria celebrates the end of a successful semester with all of its University of Innsbruck students. We congratulate them on their academic success, we wish them well for the future, and hope they stay in touch with us, UNO, and New Orleans.

We enjoyed having them here!

Thomas Vieregge and Guenter Bischof

Mr. Thomas Vieregge, U.S. correspondent for Austrian daily Die Presse visited Center Austria on his trip to New Orleans and the Gulf Coast. Center Austria director Dr. Guenter Bischof showed him major recovery projects in New Orleans and Dr. Bischof's wife, Melanie Boulet, brought Mr Vieregge to the Bayou so he can get a better understanding of the oil catastrophe in the Gulf.

>> Article in Die Presse: Louisiana: Fluch und Segen des Deltas

Dr.Monika De FrantzDr. Monika De Frantz works on politics and space, focusing amongst others on contemporary urban cultures. Before being designated for the 2010-11 Marshall Plan Chair at the University of New Orleans, she held academic positions at the London School of Economics (UK), the University of Vienna (Austria), the Bauhaus-University Weimar (Germany), and the European University Institute (EUI Florence, Italy).

She has a Ph.D. in political and social sciences from the EUI Florence, a postgraduate in International and European relations from the University of Amsterdam  (The Netherlands), and an M.A. in politics and international development from the University of Vienna. She does research, teaching, and policy consulting in the areas of urban and local politics, regional development, European multi-level governance, cultural policies, minorities, borders, collective action and institutions. In addition to publications in renowned academic journals, her book 'Capital City Cultures' on Vienna and Berlin is forthcoming with Peter Lang. She is also publishing a monograph about theories of urban politics with Palgrave Macmillan.

>> more on the Marshall Plan Chair

Dr. Petschar

History and Photography. Historical Sources at the Picture Archives of the Austrian National Library

When: May 6, 2010, 12.30pm
Where: Liberal Arts Lounge, UNO Lakefront Campus

From right, Ms. Gertraud Griessner, Ms. Marina Spescha, Mr. David Birnath, the lovely Marlies Vitzthum, Mr. Daniel Packard, and Alex and Mariella.The awards were handed out by UNO's Chief Academic Officer Provost Dr. Joe King at a recognition ceremony on April 21st.

Victorious swampball team

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Wolfgang Maderthaner and Andrea Grisold

Alexander Smith
Austrian Ministry of Science Fellow at the University of New Orleans, and doctoral student in international relations and economic history at the University of Innsbruck

Values and Imperatives: EU's Foreign Energy Policies between Ethics and Interests

Manfred Kohler
Doctoral Candidate at the University of Innsbruck's Department of Political Science, and Nick Mueller Fellow at Center Austria at the University of New Orleans.

The Historic Battle for Civic Ideals in the United States? Which Ideals Prevail in Today's America?