GERMAN UNIVERSITIES RESPOND TO HURRICANE KATRINA WITH SPECIAL SCHOLARSHIPS AND INSTITUTIONAL FUNDING
NEW YORK CITY, October 5, 2022 – German universities are reaching out to students and faculty recovering from the tragic aftermath of Hurricane Katrina by offering fully-funded places at their institutions for qualifying applicants from the affected region.
Among the German institutions that offered help immediately arethe twelve universities in the state of Hessen, the Ludwig Maximilian University Munich and the University of Dortmund. The Ministry of Higher Education, Research and the Arts and the twelve regional universities in the state of Hessen have waived tuition for their international programs, offered free student housing to U.S. applicants, as well as a full stipends of 500 euros (approx. $600) a month. The first 14 Louisiana students will arrive in Frankfurt this Saturday. The initiative has been launched in close cooperation of Hessen Education Minister Udo Corts and the Consul General of the USA in Frankfurt Peter W. Bodde and is supported by the Hessen Universities Consortium’s New York office. Students from affected US institutions are encouraged to get in touch with the New York staff or its German partner universities to assess needs and opportunities. For further information please contact: Dr. Michael Werz, Director Hessen Universities Consortium New York via
or by phone 212-758-3408 The Ludwig Maximilian University (LMU) in Munich is granting five scholarships to American students and researchers whose home universities were forced to close by hurricane Katrina. LMU wants to help quickly and un-bureaucratically by issuing these scholarships that last until January 2006. The Munich university has reserved dormitory rooms for the Katrina victims and budgeted scholarship grants of 400 euros (approx. $480) per month. The German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) will cover airfare for recipients. This offer of aid was initiated by the German University Alliance, the contact office in New York for LMU and the Freie Universität Berlin. American Studies Professor Berndt Ostendorf, who has taught at the University of New Orleans and maintains close contact with other universities in the region, is coordinating the effort at LMU. Many of his students have also been on exchange programs in New Orleans. “We are thankful to New Orleans for giving us so much inspiration and assistance. I’m glad that we can now offer aid in return,” said Ostendorf. Potential applicants for the LMU scholarships can get more information at the website www.campusrelief.org/x232.xml?state=Germany or by contacting Prof. Dr. Berndt Ostendorf, E-mail:
, phone 011-49-89-542-8522, or the German University Alliance at 1-212-758-3392. The University of Dortmund has so far taken in 10 US students from the hurricane-afflicted areas. The students are staying for one semester while their home universities are closed. They have been provided with an all-inclusive package: a tuition waiver, housing, health insurance, travel stipend, and monthly stipend for living expenses. The first students have already arrived in Dortmund and are busy taking courses within their majors. Under the initiative of Dr. Walter Gruenzweig, professor of American Studies, students and faculty members from the University of Dortmund collectively donated over $25,000 to provide scholarships to the visiting US students. The DAAD supported the rest of the applications, providing over $100,000 in aid. When the University of Dortmund heard about the closing of the universities, they posted a notice on the web site of Loyola University, asking if they can be of help – within just a few days, over 75 students applied for the 10 spots. To find out more about the University of Dortmund’s initiative, or to hear how these students have been adapting, contact the New York Liaison office at 212-758-3384 or by e-mail at
After the hurricane and flood, six colleges and universities in New Orleans had to close for at least the rest of the year. They hope to be in working condition by January or February. Most other universities in the catastrophe area have also been heavily damaged but are continuing to offer instruction.
