29.07.2019

German-American exchange on migration research

Since Monday this week, current research in the field of flight and migration is in the center of attention at the new Summer Academy organized by the KU and its Center for Flight and Migration together with the Catholic University of America (Washington) for the first time. On the KU’s Eichstätt campus, the one-week academy gives approx. 20 Master’s students from both universities an insight into expert work in the fields of migration research, psychology, social work and political science as well as the areas of law, sociology and theology. The “Migration Studies Summer Academy” is organized in the framework of an international consortium of Catholic universities from all over the world, including Chile, the USA, Australia, South Korea and Germany. The consortium’s common goal is to implement collaborative projects, establish a continuous exchange and develop joint degree programs.

In his opening speech, Prof. Dr. Klaus Stüwe (KU vice president for international affairs and profile development) underlined the importance of international dialog between universities – especially in view of the current trend to solve issues and problems within a limited national context. Instead of leading factual, objective discussions, the ductus in political dispute seemed to be leaning more and more towards verbal confrontation. “As universities, we can and must counteract this trend. Even more so, when we are connected by a common Catholic profile, as is the case for the KU and the Catholic University of America.”, said Stüwe. He emphasized that in particular the most pressing issues of our times had reached a dimension that could not be solved by purely national solutions. The first joint summer academy hosted by the KU and CUA will at the same time mark the beginning of many more joint collaboration projects of both universities. On behalf of the entire presidium, Stüwe thanked the organization team members Erin Niday, Mario Ortiz, Sandra Barrueco and Stephen Higgins from the Catholic University of America, and Klaus Altmeppen and his team at the Center for Flight and Migration as well as René Dausner, all of whom were the summer involved in the conceptualization and organizational work at the KU.