Officials from Armstrong Atlantic State University signed a memorandum of understanding earlier today with representatives from Martin Luther University in Halle, Germany, underscoring the growing relationship between the two universities.
Armstrong president Dr. Linda M. Bleicken signed the memorandum of understanding with Martin Luther University professors Jens Marggraf and Adrezej Morky. The event marked the delegation’s first visit to Savannah and to the Armstrong campus.
Halle, Germany is one of Savannah’s international “sister cities,” part of an official cultural exchange organized by the City of Savannah. Halle is the third and final Savannah sister city with which Armstrong has forged an educational partnership. Armstrong has already developed formal relationships with Jiujiang University in Jiujiang, China and Linnaeus University in Vaxjo, Sweden.
“We value our continuing partnership with the City of Savannah and continue to develop important connections with international universities of distinction,” said Dr. Bleicken. “The latest partnership with Martin Luther University offers remarkable opportunities for Armstrong students and faculty to learn from their peers in Halle, Germany.”
Armstrong’s director of International Education Dr. Jim Anderson facilitated the memorandum of understanding and helped established the partnership between the two universities.
“Armstrong continues to focus on cultivating new partnerships with universities around the world to provide our students with opportunities to study abroad and to prepare them for the global marketplace,” said Dr. Anderson. “This new relationship is important to support the City of Savannah's new sister city relationship with Halle and to acknowledge the importance of the Salzburgers and the German Heritage and Georgia Friendly Societies.”
The Savannah area has a sizeable German population, including the historic Salzburger community in Effingham County, which was originally established by Austrian immigrants in 1734.
To date, the partnership between Armstrong and Martin Luther University has included video conferences, student research symposiums and meetings between department heads. Both universities plan to add faculty and student cultural exchanges in the future.
Martin Luther University was originally founded in 1817 and is a thriving public research-oriented university in Halle, Germany. The college is named after Protestant reformer Martin Luther, who was a professor in the nearby city of Wittenberg.