The Visiting International Professional Program (VIPP) at Michigan State University (MSU) is delighted to welcome the 2024 German Fulbright Summer Institute to campus July 13 – August 3, 2024! Thirty Fulbright undergraduate students from across Germany will undertake a three-week immersive intercultural exchange program with collaborative projects.
The Institute will expose the students to academic life and study in an American university through a number of distinct but interrelated curricular courses. These are Intercultural Communication and Leadership, American Culture and Society, and Creative Entrepreneurship and Innovation for Social Change. Case studies, group discussions and hands-on collaborative projects are designed to enable students to gain new knowledge and skills as well as to practice in group settings. The program will also take the students to visit some of the most iconic cities and sites in Michigan including the Michigan State Capitol Building, Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, Ann Arbor Arts Festival, and the city of Detroit, just to name a few.
Michigan State University (MSU) Spartans work to advance the common good with uncommon will. The nation’s pioneer Land Grant university, MSU began as a bold experiment that democratized higher education and helped bring science and innovation into everyday life. Today, MSU is one of the top research universities in the world, on one of the biggest, greenest campuses in the United States. MSU is the largest residential college in the U.S. and is home to a diverse community of dedicated students, scholars, athletes, artists, scientists, and leaders. Read more about MSU and the state of Michigan.
Students will be awarded the German Fulbright Summer Institute certificate as well as an MSU VIPP certificate upon successful completion of the program.
This program is sponsored by Fulbright Germany.
Students in the German Fulbright Summer Institute will participate in a full daily schedule of classes taught by MSU faculty, guest lectures by distinguished speakers, field trips around the state, networking events, and cultural enrichment activities.
Scheduled for July 18, 2024, the Global Business Networking Event, hosted by the Visiting International Professional Program (VIPP), the German-American Business Council (GABC) of Michigan, and the International Business Center (IBC) in the MSU Broad College of Business, and open to participating students in the German Fulbright Summer Institute, is an exciting new event offered this summer as a casual gathering of MSU faculty, staff, representatives of businesses located in Michigan, and students to engage with each other and find mutual interests and potentially lay the foundations for future collaborations. It is our hope that this event will greatly enrich all participants with opportunities for students, faculty, and state business leaders to learn about the business climate in Michigan, professionally engage with one another, experience diverse cultures, and form lasting contacts. The Global Business Networking Event will take place at the historic Kellogg Hotel and Conference Center, and feature remarks by speakers representing the various participating organizations.
Course Objectives (CO):
Learning Outcomes (LO):
At the end of this course students will be able to:
This course serves as an introduction to how critical thinking drives entrepreneurship and innovation, and how entrepreneurship can thrive in the conditions of fast-changing global and interrelated local economies, while making positive impact to communities. The course is task and project-driven, so students practice critical, innovative, disruptive and entrepreneurial thinking throughout the course. Teamwork with students from different academic and cultural backgrounds will connect the intercultural communication learning experience and encourage collaborative learning and cultural exchange.
Learning Outcomes:
Course Objectives (CO):
Learning Outcomes (LO):
Students who complete this course successfully will be able to:
See the "Instructors & Speakers" tab to learn more about each guest speaker.
Intercultural Communication and Leadership - A Conversation with Global Executives
Speakers: Henry Julicher, Marc Rosenmayr, Ph.D., Isabelle McKenzie, Nirad Pandya
Thursday, July 18, 2024, 2:00pm - 4:00pm
Being the heart of the U.S. automotive industry, Michigan attracts the most talented engineers, designers, and leaders. Meet some of the industry’s top executives, all of whom have studied, worked and lived in multiple continents and countries, and are leading diverse teams to success in some of the most challenging business environments. Listen to their stories and get inspired.
Entrepreneurship and Social Good
Speaker: Faris Alami
Tuesday, July 30, 2024, 2:00pm – 4:00pm
Social entrepreneurship is a process of individuals, startups or entrepreneurs develop and fund solutions that directly address social issues. Social entrepreneurship has attracted a lot of attention in recent years. It is possible to make profit while doing good with your business. Meet one fascinating Detroit-based social entrepreneur and hear his journey from a refugee to businessman, published author, mentor, and more.
Students will live on campus in Owen Hall, located in MSU's River Trail Neighborhood. This dormitory is ideal for students who desire a living environment conducive to study. Read more about Owen Hall and take a virtual room tour.
Room Features:
Building Features:
The campus of Michigan State University is located in East Lansing on the banks of the Red Cedar River, and comprises a contiguous area of 5,200 acres. Built amid virgin forest, the campus opened in 1855. Today MSU's campus is home to 538 buildings.
To see more of MSU's beautiful campus, check out this virtual tour, featuring many short video clips and stories of buildings and landmarks. Use the MSU interactive map to find various locations on campus, and read about campus safety.
Michigan State University Spartans work to advance the common good with uncommon will. The nation's pioneer land-grant university, MSU began as a bold experiment that democratized higher education and helped bring science and innovation into everyday life. Today, MSU is one of the top research universities in the world and home to a diverse community of dedicated students, scholars, athletes, artists, scientists, leaders.
The MSU campus is very large, and riding a bike is a great way to get around. Bike rentals are available on campus through the MSU Bikes Service Center. Learn how to rent a bike at MSU. You can even reserve your bike online prior to your arrival!
Dr. Anjam Chaudhary is the diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) program coordinator at MSU International Studies and Programs. With more than 10 years of national and international experience in academic and administrative education and a passion for intercultural communication competence, Chaudhary brings a multicultural and multilingual perspective to this new position. Most recently she served in professional development and graduate recruitment at Central Michigan University’s Sarah R. Opperman Leadership Institute, where she developed and facilitated leadership workshops and conferences on diversity and interculturality. Prior to that, she was the faculty-led program coordinator in CMU’s Office of International Affairs. Chaudhary earned her PhD in education, interculturality and student development from Central Michigan University, and she also holds a master’s degree in integrated communications, advertising and public relations from Florida International University; a certificate in advertising and global communications from Berlin’s Institute of Marketing and Communications; and a bachelor’s in South Asian studies from the National Institute of Asian Languages and Cultures.
Professor Ross Chowles is professor of practice in the Department of Advertising and Public Relations at Michigan State University where he teaches branding, the creative process, how to create commercial video, and ideation techniques. Chowles is co-founder of the Jupiter Drawing Room in Cape Town, Africa’s most awarded independent advertising agency. Chowles and his agency have received numerous awards from South African and international organizations, including Clio, Epica, and Cannes. In 2015, Ross was appointed to the international board of the One Club for Creativity and has since had the privilege of judging all over the globe, from Canada to South Korea and China.
Laura Bowman is an instructor with the MSU Visiting International Professional Program and teaches courses about American culture and society. She has Master’s Degrees in German/Spanish and Teaching English as a Second Language. She teaches language classes at Lansing Community College and Michigan State University. Laura is also Vice President of Community Volunteers for International Programs, MSU, and volunteers with internationals at Friendship House, East Lansing.
Henry Julicher is currently the Head of Sales for Cargobase, a logistics SaaS software for shippers that is headquartered in Singapore. Previously Henry worked as Regional Manager of Sales and Operations for Lufthansa Cargo Midwest and holds fifteen years of professional experience in the aviation and logistics industry. Henry has been long interested in an international career since high-school and believed that learning German would open up professional opportunities abroad. After studying Economics in college, Henry joined Lufthansa Group on a management trainee program which ultimately brought him to Germany. He believes that success is linked to attitude and motivation and that anyone can succeed with the right mindset; adding travel and experience is also key to understanding perspectives and approaches and will help broaden one's horizons and abilities. Since returning to Michigan, Henry heads the membership committee for the German-American Business Council of Michigan, a professional networking organization that builds on the strong economic, cultural and commercial ties between Michigan and Germany. He lives in Metro Detroit and is passionate about skiing, sailing and the cultural and culinary experiences Detroit offers.
Marc Rosenmayr, Ph.D. was the Chief Technology Officer at Motherson Innovations, the global R&D organization of the Motherson Group, an international Tier1 automotive supplier with $9B annual revenue. Prior to this position, Marc was the Chief Executive Officer and held various other positions at HELLA Electronics Corp, responsible for development and operations in the Americas with 2,000 employees and $500M revenue. Marc brings more than 20 years of automotive experience in successfully leading and building global teams and has a broad understanding of intercultural collaboration based on his international background and global responsibilities. As Senior Advisor at Coventry Consulting, he provides strategic advisory services on innovation strategies, technology roadmaps, product management, future mobility solutions and open innovation engagements. Marc has a Master’s and Doctoral Degree in Electrical Engineering and is an advisory board member for four startups.
Jacqulin Preethi Yesurathnam (Preethi) is serving as the Director, Finance for BorgWarner Power Drive Systems business unit. She oversees financial consolidations, financial planning and analysis, and supports strategic projects critical to achieve the business' goals. Preethi is a certified chartered accountant and holds a master’s degree in commerce and accounting with over 20 years of experience in automotive and other industries. She joined BorgWarner in 2009 as finance manager at a manufacturing facility in India and became the finance controller the year after. Along with finance controlling, she also led material planning, customer support and country treasury activities supporting all plants in BorgWarner India. In 2017, She relocated to the US with her family and held various roles including global engineering controller, business unit controller and business unit director for BorgWarner.
Nirad Pandya is currently Head of Strategy and Head of E-Mobility products at Vitesco Technologies, a leading supplier of automotive powertrain solutions to most of the world’s top carmakers. Over his 25-year career, Mr. Pandya has held leading roles in engineering, general management, program management and marketing at Caterpillar, Motorola and Continental. Mr. Pandya has lived in the US, Germany, China and India and has a strong appreciation for communication and leading across cultures.
Mr. Pandya earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Texas at Austin, specializing in mechanical engineering and control systems.
Faris Alami is Founder & Chief Executive Officer of International Strategic Management (ISM) since 2003, and works to develop entrepreneurial ecosystem facilitating and training immigrants and ethnic minority entrepreneurs in the U.S. and abroad.
Faris partnered/worked with several incubators and accelerators globally – where he managed over 1,000 start-ups each year, and played a role in planning entrepreneurial training, talent, and several international initiatives. He is a certified FastTrac Facilitator in the internationally recognized Entrepreneurial Training program through the Kauffman Foundation.
Professor Julian C. Chambliss is a Professor of English and the Val Berryman Curator of History at the MSU Museum at Michigan State University. In addition, he is the faculty lead for the Department of English Graphic Possibilities Research Workshop and a core participant in the MSU College of Arts & Letters’ Consortium for Critical Diversity in a Digital Age Research (CEDAR). His research interests focus on race, culture, and power in real and imagined spaces. His recent writing has appeared in Scholarly Editing, Genealogy, KULA: Knowledge Creation, Dissemination, and Preservation Studies, and The Conversation US.
An interdisciplinary scholar, he continually seeks ways to bridge teaching, scholarship, and service to understand space, place, and identity better. His work embraces Black digital humanities and Critical Afrofuturist frameworks. His co-edited primary document reader, Cities Imagined: The African Diaspora in Media and History (2018), highlights the differing ideology informing our understanding of black space. He has worked on several exhibitions examining Afrofuturism and visual culture, including Transfiguration: A Black Speculative Vision of Freedom at Philip and Patricia Frost Art Museum at Florida International University, A Past Unremembered: The Transformative Legacy of the Black Speculative Imagination, and Black Kirby: An Afrofuturist Vision both at the Zora Neale Hurston National Museum of Fine Arts. He was featured on the Terrestrial Space Panel at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum Claiming Space Symposium in 2022. Chambliss co-produced and hosted Every Tongue Got to Confess, a podcast examining communities of color from 2017 to 2022 which won the 2019 Hampton Dunn New Media Award from the Florida Historical Society. Read more about Chambliss' work.
Alina Morse is CEO of Zolli Candy, which she founded when she was 10 years old. Her company sells the candy she developed: Sugar free lollipops, called Zollipops. The candy is sold online and in about 25,000 stores in the US. Alina is the youngest person to be featured on the cover of Entrepreneur magazine. Alina has twice been invited to the White House. She is currently a senior at Michigan State University.
Paul Reiss, from Grand Rapids, Michigan, along with his friend Mike, felt that the protein offering to fitness fans fell short of expectations. They were chalky and boring. Paul started experimenting with various recipes, using ice cream as a base. Once he got the recipe right, Paul dropped out of college to start Protein Pints as a full-time venture. Now back at university, Paul is also CEO of a flourishing business.
Meet the MSU students who will serve as class assistants and cultural ambassadors during the 2024 German Fulbright Summer Institute.
Isabel BucklesMSU Sophomore
Major: International Relations
I'm Isabel Buckles and I am from Troy, Michigan. I am an International Relations major at James Madison College with minors in German and Business. I am an honors college member and will be starting my second year at Michigan State in the fall. Outside of class, I am involved in the Associated Students of Michigan State University, which is the student government on campus, I am a member of Delta Phi Epsilon which is a professional foreign service sorority, and I was also involved in Undergraduate Research during my first year. I lived in Erlangen Germany for two years while attending middle school and early in the summer, I will be studying abroad in Mayen Germany with MSU's German program.
Destiny KanningMSU Senior
Major: Human Biology
Moin Moin! My name is Destiny Kanning. I am an international senior from Hamburg, Germany in the College of Natural Science on the pre-MD/PhD track with a minor in Korean studies. I started my undergraduate journey here in the United States four years ago, at MSU, and have been privileged to be a leading part of many organisations here on campus including ASMSU's University Council, Kappa Gamma Delta, State Singers, Undergraduate Research, and many more! I am an advanced trauma technician in our local emergency departments and a member of the Hospital Emergency Response Team here in Michigan, so you can look for me off the field during our Hockey and Football seasons. I am so excited to get in touch with all of you!
Natalie HarmonMSU Senior
Major: Comparative Cultures and Politics and Spanish
Hello everyone!
I am a recent graduate from MSU where I studied Spanish and Comparative Cultures and Politics. I also had minors in Portuguese and Latin American and Caribbean Studies. I am originally from Fenton, MI, making me a lifelong Michigander. In my time at MSU, I have been involved in both Portuguese Club and Salsa Club. In my free time, I enjoy learning languages, traveling, and crocheting. I am looking forward to the start of the program!
Garfield GranettMSU Senior
Major: German
I'm Garfield Granett and I'm from San Francisco, California. I am a German major with a minor in Religious Studies. I'm a senior and will be finishing my final semester by studying abroad at the University of Mannheim. Outside of class I'm interested in social justice and volunteer with other Spartans through a group called Alternative Spartan Breaks. Alternative Spartan Breaks provides accessible, quality service opportunities, education about social issues, and exposure to diverse cultures and communities to promote the active citizenship of Michigan State University students. I lived in Kiel, Germany for two years while attending high school and studied for one year in Freiburg. I'm very excited to meet everyone.
MSU Junior
Major: Accounting and Economics
Hi, I’m Harnoor Kaur, a rising junior pursuing a double major in accounting and economics. Originally from India, I’m currently an international student here at MSU. I enjoy connecting with nature and occasionally indulge in drawing and painting during my free time. I’m thrilled to be part of this program and look forward to meeting all of you!
MSU Senior
Major: Arts and Humanities
My name is Aviana Irrer and I am a senior at MSU pursuing a major in Arts and Humanities at the Residential College for Arts and Humanities, with a double major in German. For the 2022-2023 academic year, I was fortunate to be able to attend Albert-Ludwigs Universität Freiburg with the Academic Year in Freiburg program. After college, I plan on applying to the German and Austrian Fulbright programs to teach English abroad. In my free time, I enjoy drawing, reading, and being outdoors. At the moment, my favorite book is "Babel" by R.f Kuang., and my favorite places to hike are Western Michigan and Der Schwarzwald.
Elisa Alfar, Business Administration, DHBW Mosbach - Campus Bad Mergentheim
Armin Bensing, Industrial Engineering, Technische Hochschule Brandenburg - University of Applied Sciences
Noura Bouhra, Computer Science, DHBW Mosbach - Campus Bad Mergentheim
Wayne Davis Boykin, Chemistry, Hochschule Darmstadt - University of Applied Sciences
Elias Noel Deldjouye Shahir, Business Informatics, DHBW Karlsruhe
Christian Diel, Mechanical Engineering, Technische Hochschule Mittelhessen - University of Applied Sciences
Natalie Dreier, International Business Administration, Ludwigshafen University of Business and Society - University of Applied Sciences
Frederik Echterhoff, Industrical Engineering, Hochschule Bielefeld - University of Applied Sciences and Arts (HSBI)
Daria Fedorova, Business Informatics, Berlin School of Economics and Law
Lars Gloyer, Paper Science and Technology, DHBW Karlsruhe
Jan-Peter Jehn, Industrial Engineering, DHBW Heidenheim
Barbara Linda Klein, Business Administration, DHBW Lörrach
Jens Wilhelm Lardenoije, Aviation Management, Frankfurt University of Applied Sciences
Antonia Luettkenhaus, Business Administration, DHBW Mosbach - Campus Bad Mergentheim
Olivia Maria Lukasiewicz, General Management, Europäische Fachhochschule Brühl - European University of Applied Sciences
Dominic Mai, Business Informatics, DHBW Mannheim
Emma Sophie Nagy, Business Administration, Technische Hochschule Mittelhessen - University of Applied Sciences
Eric Christian Heinz Paffhausen, International Business Management, DHBW Lörrach
Xenia Zoé Pekrul, Business Administration, Berlin School of Economics and Law
Daniel Reinbold, Business Administration, DHBW Villingen-Schwenningen
Luis Reymann, Business Administration, Fachhochschule der Wirtschaft (FHDW)
David Rueffreck, Computer Science, Hochschule Niederrhein - University of Applied Sciences
Edgar Scaruppe, Business Informatics, Berlin School of Economics and Law
Mika Martin Schmidt, Business Administration, DHBW Lörrach
Viktoria Schwab, Business Administration, DHBW Heidenheim
Linus Marlon Schwenger, Aviation Engineering/Aviation Management, Technische Hochschule Wildau - University of Applied Sciences
Katinka Marie Tenbuelt, General Management, Europäische Fachhochschule Neuss- European University of Applied Sciences
Sebastian Tonn, Mechanical Engineering, Hochschule Bielefeld - University of Applied Sciences and Arts (HSBI)
Christian Ulrich Wergers, Applied Mathematics and Computer Science, Fachhochschule Aachen - University of Applied Sciences
Kira Farina Woehrle, Business Administration, DHBW Stuttgart
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