American Association of Teachers of German

2008 Winners

Ernesto Alfonso - Broward Community College (Elisabeth D'Antoni)
Robert Blackburn - Green River Community College (Rainer Dirks)
Dustin Gallegos - Escuela Superior Politecnica del Litoral (Marian Graham)
Sheldon Gordon-Campbell - Queens Borough Community College (Lorena Ellis)
Julia McNeill - Durham Technical Community College (Svetlana Yokum)
Sara Nack - College of DuPage (Rudolf Strahl)
Lauren Quick - Durham Technical Community College (Svetlana Yokum)
Michael Rothleutner - Howard County Community College (Katharina Christon)
Timothy Seguine - Antelope Valley Community College (Heidi Preschler)
Torrey Zismann - Pima Community College (Kerstin Meyers)

(names in bold are AATG members)

A Community College Initiative in Germany

A total of 1,192 community colleges are currently operating in the U.S., with an enrollment of 6.8 million students and steadily rising numbers. Community colleges play an important role in workforce preparation, and foreign languages are offered in more than a third of the colleges.

Instructors of German in some community colleges have noted declining numbers of students who want to study German. Many students focus only on career-oriented subjects and do not see the value of including this important foreign language. We know, however, that the global economy has opened borders and that a constant flow of specialists between the countries are needed to serve the market better.

WISP is a twelve-week immersion work-study program in Germany that began as a pilot project in Summer 2001. It will take place again in 2009 in the federal state of Baden-Württemberg. Students will work as paid interns for two months in a German company appropriate to their professional skills and career plans. Participating companies range in size from small to large. Participants are paid a salary that provides for their living expenses or they receive free board and an additional salary for their expenses. This work experience will be preceded by a four-week German course at the Carl Duisberg Centren (CDC) in Radofzell, Germany, where they will improve their speaking skills and become accustomed to the German lifestyle.

Students meeting the following eligibility requirements are encouraged to apply:

• Citizenship:
  - U.S. Citizenship
  - Citizens of other countries must be enrolled students at a U.S. community college, and will be
  responsible for obtaining a visa to Germany.
  - German citizens cannot participate
• Age:
  - Minimum age is 18, maximum age is 27.
• Language:
  - At least one semester of German instruction completed upon departure to Germany.
• Enrollment Status:
  - Enrollment at a community college in the USA is required. Students at 4-year institutions are NOT eligible.
• Education:
  At least one year of study at a community college in a field related to one of the following:
  - Technical Fields: chemical engineering/electrical engineering/industrial engineering/mechanical engineering/information technology/logistics/internet/multi media/graphic design/architecture
  - Business: general administration/marketing/sales/advertising/PR/finance/hotel management
  - Liberal Arts: liberal arts major may be eligible if they minor in one of the above fields and/ or have related work experience.
• Experience:
  - Some practical work experience is required (part-time job, internship, summer job); practical experience in your desired field is strongly preferred

• a scholarship for a foreign exchange
• global training and cultural awareness
• combining their career goals with the study of the German language
• proof of foreign language and international competence
• proof of flexibility and openness for new experiences
• increase of future marketability in a national or international job market
• international contacts for their future professional and personal life
• getting to know Germany as an efficient and highly developed industrial power

• increase in enrollments in your program
• connection with other faculty to gain knowledge and students
• increased flexibility and importance of your program by meeting the personal and professional needs of your students and the global market
• increased visibility of your program on campus and in the community