Graz Delegation’s Visit to Montclair Celebrates 75 Years of International Partnership

Thursday and Friday, March 6th and 7th, Montclair State University celebrated the 75th anniversary of its partnership with the University of Graz in Austria. Eight delegates from Graz University and a representative of the Mayor’s office in Graz, Max Mazelle, traveled to Montclair to enjoy a week of cultural exchange and planning for the future.

The anniversary celebration kicked off with a ceremonial breakfast. In attendance were the Provost for Hispanic Initiatives and International Programs Katia Paz Goldfarb, Director of International Academic Initiatives Tim White, and President of the University Jonathan Koppell, as well as faculty from across the university. The morning’s speakers how emphasized gathering together in person strengthens the multifaceted bond between the institutions and organically builds more opportunities for the universities to commune, foster authentic relationships, and deepen existing connections.

Beginning in 1950, Montclair’s Sister-City Program was one of the first sister city partnerships created in the post-war effort to create global understanding between nations. As the world is going through a divisive period, all attendees were reminded of the importance of reinforcing effective paths for exchange on the institutional level.

President Koppell emphasized, “What’s important in terms of maintaining relationships around the globe are not merely the connections between national governments… but the connections between subnational governments, cities, and institutions like ours – and between people.”

Internationalization is a fundamental element of Montclair State University’s growth, and the university’s Global Task Force, as well as the office of International Academic Initiatives (IAI) and many others on campus, work to implement a strategic global vision and educational philosophy that offers Montclair students ever greater opportunities to explore the world, collaborate across borders, and participate in international research. With the newly launched Career Hub for International Language Learning (CHILL) and Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL), among other tools, the university cultivates multifaceted opportunities and encourages global discussions as the institution steadily grows its global footprint. These efforts will improve collaboration between faculty and students involved in global teaching and research.

The Graz delegation visit, which included tours of laboratories, arts facilities, the Business School, and more, solidified the existing partnership as a foundation for future growth. President Koppell emphasized the importance of the human connection that underlies all aspects of the partnership and University of Graz representative Katja Corcoran reinforced this, pointing out that new encounters offer “an opportunity to build a connection, a relationship, and then who knows what happens in research? If you know somebody who you’d like to work with, then you come up with this idea where you find joint research.”

With dozens of students and faculty exchanging ideas each year through Montclair’s Transatlantic Entrepreneurship Academy, Faculty-Led Justice Studies travel courses, the Graz Sister-City exchange, and more, the venues for collaboration will certainly continue to grow in the coming years, attesting to both universities’ growing global impact.