Of the 423 certificates, one goes to Carolin Lutz, a 25-year-old graduate of the international Master's program of Energy Conversion and Management (ECM) who hails from the Palatinate city of Speyer. With a final grade of 1.0, "she's at the top of the crop," says ECM Dean Professor Dr. Peter Treffinger appreciatively. Ms. Lutz presents a speech on behalf of the graduates this evening and also addresses her fellow students who came to Offenburg University from abroad: "It has been so exciting to learn from you - to experience Indian equanimity and optimism, Iranian cordiality and South American friendliness, to name just a few." Her class included 24 international students from nine different countries. "I very much hope that you have come to see Germany as a 'second home'."

Competitive advantage through internationality

Margret Wintermantel in her speech stressed the competitive edge Offenburg University has gained by going international: "English-language and French-language programs expand the local horizon enormously, and the longstanding relations with France have created a stable, invaluable basis." Referring to the places of origin of the 423 graduates, Rector Lieber said: "They perfectly reflect both the local impact and the pronounced internationality of Offenburg University." Pierre Christian Takam from Cameroon, a medical engineering student who received this year´s DAAD award, and Carolin Lutz from the Palatinate - as the latter said quite aptly, "It's a bit like the world is at home in Offenburg."

<link http: www.hs-offenburg.de aktuell fotogalerie _top external-link-new-window external link in new>Have a look at the photo gallery of the event.