Peter Strohschneider, president of the German Research Foundation (Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, or DFG), visited campus on April 13 for a half-day as part of a visit to Washington, DC. He met with President Hrabowski, Vice President for Research Karl V. Steiner, and faculty to discuss globalization aspects of UMBC’s strategic plan and other UMBC initiatives.

Max Voegler, director of DFG’s North America Office, commented on how impressed the delegation was “by the way in which the university has sought to define and act on its mission.”

Steiner recently returned from Germany, where he met with colleagues at the University of Kassel to discuss a growing international partnership, and attended the Hannover Trade Fair with the State of Maryland. The world’s largest industrial fair was opened this year by President Obama and German Chancellor Merkel.

Michael Nance, assistant professor of philosophy, is UMBC’s most-recent recipient of the Humboldt Award, a prestigious award that provides up to 18 months of support for travel to Germany for research. Other faculty and graduate students have ties to German research institutions, and this visit from the president of Germany’s largest research-funding agency will further cement UMBC’s positive research relationships with this influential country and grow the university’s international reputation.