German Unity Event

The Global Leadership Center celebrated 25 years of German Unity, as well as Ohio University’s continued partnership with Leipzig University on Wednesday, Sept. 30 and Thursday, Oct. 1.

Consul General Herbert Quelle photo1

The esteemed guest of honor for the Sept. 30 program was His Excellency Herbert Quelle, Consul General of the Federal Republic of Germany to the Midwest region of the U.S. Consul General Quelle provided the keynote speech on the topic of “The 25th anniversary of German reunification and the Refugee crisis in Europe.”

Also at the event, additional guest speakers explored various topics concerning Germany’s reunification, while also discussing their present day implications. The presenters at the event included:

Professor Crister Garrett of the American Studies Department at Leipzig University in Germany, who focused on the significance of 25 years of German unity and its impact on transatlantic relations between the US and Germany.
Dr. Brook Beshah, the Interim Director of the Global Leadership Center, who discussed his observations of German unity as an international PhD student studying in Leipzig shortly after reunification occurred.
Rene Grzona, a master’s candidate in Coaching Education from Leipzig, Germany, who talked about his personal and educational experiences growing up in the unified Germany and his time as a university student.
These presentations were followed by a 30-minute panel discussion where the audience was encouraged to pose question to our invited guest speakers and delve deeper into the significance of these past 25 years for Germany.

On Thursday, October 1 , from 9 am to noon at the Front Room Café in Baker University Center, the GLC hosted a ‘German Coffee Corner Event.’ This event was informal and encouraged attendees to come and enjoy a conversation with the numerous German students and faculty here at Ohio University.