by Günter Bischof

The University of New Orleans (UNO) International Summer School opened its 30th session with a spectacular gala event at the Innsbruck Congress House on July 3, 2005. The European Foundation for Culture (based in Basel, Switzerland) conferred the prestigious Euro-Atlantic Culture Award on both Chancellor Timothy Ryan of the University of New Orleans and President Manfried Gantner of the University of Innsbruck for their leadership in the model university partnership in trans-Atlantic education, which has existed since 1982. Ambassador Emil Brix from the Austrian Foreign Ministry in Vienna heaped glowing praise on the program which has conducted sessions in Innsbruck since 1976, bringing more than 7,000 American students and some 700 faculty members to the lovely Alpine capital of the Tyrol. The Summer School has spawned numerous other exchanges and activities between the two universities, and also led to the 1998 establishment of CenterAustria at UNO. Innsbruck’s Mayor Hilde Zach warmly welcomed the American guests to the Inn River metropolis. Gordon “Nick” Mueller, founder of the Summer School and currently Director of the National D-Day Museum in New Orleans, was present and took great pleasure in the Summer School’s long-term accomplishments.