Philina Wittke recently began her role as the head of the new Virginia Tech-TU Darmstadt Liaison Office in Blacksburg! The new office was formed to strengthen the two universities' partnership. Philina wrote a guest blog post about the unique relationship between the two universities:
20 YEARS AND COUNTING
Henry Ford knew - "Coming together is a beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is success."
And YAY, that’s what we’ve been doing! It is always great when you have a reason to celebrate. And this is a particularly great one: two decades of friendship, partnership, and success; two decades of aspiring graduates on two continents; and two decades of world-changing ideas generated by trustful common projects.
Two decades is more than a life-time for many of today’s students, longer than the iPhone has been around, and before Facebook even existed. But that is how long TU Darmstadt and Virginia Tech have been working together.
Their common bond has always been cars and high-tech, mechanical engineering, and the improvement of driving technology. It all started in the year 2000 with General Motors looking for a partner in higher education to improve their cars, and they found the students of today and the employees of the future to be the perfect agents to attend to their problems.
The two universities consider a holistic education as gaining real world experiences - improving their communication skills, people skills, and problem solving skills through the exposure to culture, language and team work.
That is what gives the graduates of the various programs a competitive advantage on the job market.
Since 2000, the partnership has developed far beyond the field of Mechanical Engineering. Until today, more than 350 students have traveled between the two universities to study engineering, political science, language and architecture.
The two universities share robust study abroad programs, joint faculty research projects, and faculty exchanges. Professors work closely together to solve the challenges of tomorrow. Young researchers collaborate in labs to prepare themselves to become leaders of tomorrow’s scientific landscape, and programs are constantly reassessed to prepare students for an ever changing world.
So, given the multitude of joint initiatives in different thematic fields, TU Darmstadt and Virginia Tech became strategic partners in 2016. This unique relationship can only be seen as the gateway to a multitude of more opportunities.
On February 20, 2019, the TU Darmstadt and Virginia Tech opened a common Liaison Office on the Blacksburg Campus, which is yet another hallmark of the strategic partnership. The office will be able to dedicate time and space towards the partnership on an even broader and deeper level. It will be able to connect people and ideas, interact with students, and engage in exhibitions and fairs.
So, join the #vttuda family, explore the endless study abroad opportunities, bathe the world through the language glass, and come home to make a difference.
The Liaison Office is at your doorstep to assist:
Virginia Tech – TU Darmstadt Liaison Office
Global Education Office (GEO), 526 Prices Fork Road, Suite 211
Tel: 540-231-1875
Email: phwittke@vt.edu
ABOUT PHILINA
Philina Wittke is the Head of the Liaison Office. She has gained comprehensive experience in managing Higher Education Programs in Germany and South Africa. Prior to her assignment here in Blacksburg, Philina worked with the colleagues at TU Darmstadt’s International Office. This semester, she is also teaching a German Language Class at the Department of Modern and Classical Languages and Literature.
RIBBON-CUTTING EVENT
