1. Lessons from the
German Fulbright
Experience
How Butler Can Benefit from
Involvement in International Education

2. German-American Fulbright
Programs
 German-American Fulbright Commission established
in 1952 – celebrated its 60th anniversary
 The largest of 52 bilateral programs with 700 German
& American participants in 30 programs annually
 The International Education Administrators Seminar
included 20 participants from around the USA with a
variety of institutions and diversity of professional
roles
 To apply for Fulbright programs see www.iie.org.cies

3. Higher Education in Germany

2-track system for high school graduates



“Arbitur” exam for universities
Technical training for others
3-tiered system of universities & technical schools


Applied Sciences Universities


Traditional Research Universities
Vocational -Technical Institutes
Degree Structure

Bachelor degree = 3 years

Master degree = 2 years

Doctoral (PhD) = 3-5 years

4. Lessons on Higher Ed Structure
 American community colleges are like bridges
between the technical-cooperative education training
and the applied sciences universities in Germany
 Germans recognizes the value of workforce training
more than Americans; every person is trained for their
job in Germany from retail to auto tech to teacher to
computer science to academic
 Germany has relatively few private universities
compared to the USA

5. Leadership of University & Faculty
 Germans emphasize “self-administration” – a
democratic, bottom-up process for selecting leaders
 University Leadership is “elected” from the faculty by
faculty, staff and students – Faculty Council elects
Dean, Executive Committee elects Chancellor, for
example
 Deans, Vice-Presidents & Chancellors serve a 4-year
term and then stand for reelection and return to the
faculty when finished

6. Faculty Workload
 Faculty in Applied Science universities must have 5
years experience working in industry or private sector
and a doctorate in their teaching field
 Teaching load is 18 hours per week; research and
publication are not expected, except in Traditional
Research universities
 Faculty are “civil servants” with tenure after two years
and are paid by the state; 80% or more are fulltime, few are adjuncts who generally teach one class

7. Lessons on Leadership & Faculty
 Contrast between German “self-administration” and
American “professional administration” where
administrators may originate from the faculty but tend to
become career administrators with much different hiring
process
 American administrative style is more “topdown”(hierarchical) in contrast to German “bottom-up”
(democratic) approach
 American institutions increasingly employ part-time
adjuncts rather than full-time faculty; ratios are almost
reversed with 20% full-time/tenured in the US, compared
80% in Germany

8. Students, Student Services & Student Life
 Nearly all German students are 18-26 years old, very few
non-traditional students (only 5% have children)
 Among Germans, 46% go to universities and 47% go to
vocational-technical institutes; few do not attend postsecondary schools
 German students pay no tuition, only nominal fees ($500
per year); students receive housing and transit subsidies
from the state ($600 per month for up to 10 semesters)
 German students focus entirely on their major subject; no
general education; most get some work experience in 3rd
year

9. Student Services
 German institutions provide fewer student services
and spend 40% less per student than American
institutions
 German culture sees 18 year olds as “adults” and
encourages them to be independent
 Student Services are provided through a Nat’l Assoc.
of Student Affairs; 2/3 of funding comes from revenues
for dining and residential halls, 1/3 from student fees &
state
 Students Services are understaffed and recognized as
an area that needs further development in Germany

10. Student Life
 Student Life in Germany revolves around academics
and student government; with a few other student
clubs
 There are no university sports programs
 There are no college health services due to universal
health care
 Most students get job training through cooperative ed
 International students are more than 10 percent at
most universities in Germany (compared to 3.5% in
USA)

11. Lessons on Students, Student Service &
Student Life
 In Germany higher education is a “common good” which is
fully funded by the state with little cost to the
student, whereas in the USA higher education is more of
an “individual good” which is increasingly funded by the
student through tuition with declining contributions by the
state.
 German students focus on academics and complete
bachelor degrees in 3 years compared to American
students who average 6 years for bachelor degrees, but
must take general education reqs and have a broader
student life experience
 American colleges provide many more student
services, but Germany students get more work experience

12. How Butler can Benefit from Involvement
with International Education
 Butler has a well-established international student
program, but international enrollment is declining
 Butler Faculty and Student Services staff show strong
support for the International Program in a Fall survey
 Butler faculty, staff and international students have very
positive experiences interacting with each other
 Faculty, staff & international students support increased
funding for the International Program

13. Faculty & Staff Perceptions
of Benefits of International Students

14. International Student Perceptions
on their Experiences at Butler

15. Faculty & Staff Perceptions of
Interactions with International Students

16. Faculty & Staff Perceptions on Funding
for International Student Program

17. International Student Perceptions
on Areas for Improvements

18. Benefits of International Education
Final Proposals
 Recognize the revenue generated by the international
student program and commit a portion to reinvestment
 Invest in recruiting more international students
 Establish a scholarship program for international students
that rewards academic excellence
 Expand efforts to develop study abroad opportunities for
Butler students and faculty
 Support professional development for international
education
 Emphasize “internationalization” across the college

19. Fulbright Seminar tours Berlin

20. The Berlin Wall

21. Brandenburg Gate

22. The Reichstag

23. Randy with Reiner Rohr
Fulbright Chief of American Programs

24. Former Auto Plant
now a Campus of HTW in Berlin

25. Visit to HTW Campus
overlooking Spree River

26. Humboldt University in Berlin

27. The Pergamom Museum in Berlin

28. Europa University Viadrina
in Frankfurt on Oder

29. Fisherman on the Oder River

30. Student Union at Collegia Polonicum
across the Oder in Poland

31. Oktoberfest in Berlin

32. German Chancellor Angela Merkel
newly re-elected

33. Design Students at Darmstadt
Applied Sciences University

34. Inn at Strasbourg, France

35. Notre Dame Cathedral
in Strasbourg

36. Berlin Hauptbahnhof

37. Castle enroute to Prague

38. Wenceslas Square in Prague

39. Powder Tower in Prague

40. Prague Castle

41. UFO Bridge in Bratislava

42. Bratislava Castle

43. Comenius University in Bratislava

44. Inside the Blue Church in Bratislava

45. The Great Synagogue in Pest

46. Synagogue Ceiling

47. The Hungarian Parliament

48. On the Danube in Budapest

49. Self-Reflections on the Train to Berlin

50. Train Station in Bratislava