On the occasion of the “Herrnhut in Saxony – Moravian Refuge Global Network” exhibition opening on May 10, 2003 at the German Consulate General in New York, a delegation of Saxony's Prime Minister Michael Kretschmer traveled to the USA. The delegation kicked off its tour with a visit of the Moravian Community in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, followed by meetings with representatives from politics, business, education and research. TU Dresden was represented by its Rector Prof. Ursula M. Staudinger, and Peter Rosenbaum, Head of the International Office.

Bethlehem in the US state of Pennsylvania is known for three things in particular: It is the settlement site of the Moravian Church and, along with Herrnhut in Saxony and Gracehill in Northern Ireland, it is competing for the title of UNESCO World Heritage Site. Moreover, the small town is a prime example of structural change in a region that once thrived from coal and steel production. The historic steel mill has been preserved as an industrial monument, while right next door a casino is attracting droves of wealthy tourists. And of particular interest to TUD: Lehigh University, founded in 1865, is a strong player in the engineering sciences. In the presence of the prime minister, the two universities signed a memorandum to cooperate in science and research, as well as an agreement on student exchange.

Back in the Big Apple, the TUD Alumni Office, Prof. Ursula M. Staudinger and Peter Rosenbaum invited 40 of their alumni to a delicious breakfast at the restaurant of the German Consulate General in New York on May 10. Following a brief welcome by the Minister President, the TUD representatives and the alumni discussed the possibility of establishing an Alumni Chapter in NYC, along with other opportunities for involvement, such as placements for TUD students.

Prof. Staudinger: “The Alumni breakfast gave both Minister President Kretschmer and us TUD representatives the opportunity to meet a very impressive group of alumni who are eager to get involved for TUD in North America. All of them expressed their great commitment to TUD.” One of the alumni, Axel Frotscher, currently Research Programmer Analyst at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, commented: “It was great to meet other alumni from my university in the Tri-State area. It is wonderful to see alumni outreach picking up steam here now.” Peter Rosenbaum was also enthusiastic about "the impressive careers of our TUD alumni and the extremely great willingness to act not only as contacts, but also as mentors for our TUD students. Exactly what one would hope for from active alumni.”  The meeting was made possible through the work of Jeremiah Peterson, International Alumni Relations Coordinator: "In addition to the strong contacts we already have with TUD alumni in our network, this event served to connect with the many alumni in the NYC area. Attendees included CEOs and senior executives from companies as diverse as KPMG, Chobani, Prada, L'Oréal, and Amazon Web Services, as well as researchers from Columbia University Medical Center and Weill Cornell Medical Center.  We can be proud that these our alumni in leadership positions were shaped by TU Dresden. A new NYC network on LinkedIn aims to strengthen these contacts.” 

On the afternoon of May 10, researchers from Princeton University and TU Dresden met at the Andlinger Center for Energy and the Environment at Princeton University to share their expertise. TUD was represented by Prof. Staudinger, Prof. Antonio Hurtado, Prof. Niels Modler, Prof. Matthias Mauder and Dr. Daniel Bernhardt. Minister President Kretschmer opened the event and spoke about the role of business, politics and education in regions of structural change. Subsequently, the researchers discussed the role of universities as drivers of structural change and the possibility of joint research projects.