State connects to Germany

A UA professor has been named to the board of directors for the Alabama-Germany Partnership.

Thomas Fox, chairman of the modern languages and classics department, said his membership draws attention to the University from many of the German businesses in Alabama, such as Mercedes-Benz in Tuscaloosa County and DeGussa and ThyssenKrupp in Mobile.

"Because it's a statewide organization and an international organization, it's important for us to be visible there, and we have been involved with it historically," Fox said.

Fox said the partnership's goal was to strengthen ties between Alabama and Germany in business, culture and education.

"I want to emphasize the cultural and educational aspects of the organization," Fox said. "The economic ties, of course, are very important, but I am more interested in cultural and educational matters."

As an example of educational ties, Fox said, Mercedes-Benz has given the University a $1 million endowment, 10 percent of which the German department uses to fund students studying abroad in Germany.

On Feb. 20, the University will host its 13th annual German Day. Fox said students who study German in high school and middle school will come from around the state to compete in intellectual challenges.

The graduating senior who does best in the German Day competition gets a $1,000 scholarship to the University, funded by Mercedes-Benz.

"It's good to see the schools competing academically instead of just basketball and football," Fox said.

Barbara Fischer, former president of the Tuscaloosa chapter of the partnership, was one of its founders. She said the partnership was a tool that allowed Alabama students to seek opportunities in Germany, and German students to seek opportunities at the University.

"It's a wonderful link between these two worlds," Fischer said.

Brad Burckel, a graduate student majoring in German studies, works as a volunteer for the partnership, helping them with annual events. Burckel said he also plans to pursue business and being in the program has opened up networking opportunities for him.

"There's such a variety of German-involved businesses at these events, especially the main event in the spring," Burckel said. "Just going to these events, they have a lot of the top executives and employees of these companies."

After a meeting with the partnership Tuesday, Fox said students looking for involvement with the partnership could also join a delegation of its members on a trip to Germany May 30 through June 5.

He said the trip will include the Berlin Air Show and celebrate the 50th anniversary of American space exploration with a tour of the grounds where Germans developed the rockets NASA used.

Fox said he would not be a part of the delegation, and the partnership was working on reducing the trip's cost of $1,800 excluding airfare. Students can also join the partnership for a reduced membership fee.