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Today, at IUB’s first graduation ceremony, 104 students were awarded the Bachelor of Art or the Bachelor of Science. Additionally, three students received their Master’s degrees and one his PhD. Representing 37 different nationalities, the new IUB graduates celebrated the occasion together with their parents, the IUB community and numerous guests, amongst them keynote speaker Heinrich v. Pierer, head of Siemens AG.
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Jun
02, 2004]
In his welcome note IUB president Fritz Schaumann emphasized the excitement of international and intercultural community building: “Seeing how young people of many different nations created a common spirit of IUB will be one of my most valuable experiences forever.” Keynote speaker Dr. Heinrich von Pierer, Chairman of the Managing Board of Siemens AG, claimed, that “world-class education is the decisive element in keeping a country competitive in the global economy.” He stressed the importance of attracting international students to Germany. “They enrich our own culture and lives. And they form valuable life-long ties with Germany when they return home.”
In their speeches the two student representatives, Vera Kahlenberg and Benny Mwale, highlighted “the breaking of new ground” as one of their central and most valuable experiences at IUB. “I suppose what defines us all is that we are explorers,“ 21-year-old Benny Mwale from Zambia said. “We chose to explore the possibility of shaping a new university into what it is today, and in the process, it shaped us”. Vera Kahlenberg, 24, from Germany, described life on the IUB Campus as a “fascinating microcosm” well worth experiencing.
The plans of the “Class of 2004”, who received their certificates during today’s ceremony, are taking shape: Many students who want to continue studying at graduate schools are already admitted to universities, amongst these Cambridge University, University of Oxford, the London School of Economics and Political Science, Columbia University, and Rice University. 18 are admitted to graduate programs at IUB. A sizeable portion of the “class of 2004”, some 20 %, have already landed attractive positions, traineeships, or internships, many of them within Bremen or Northern Germany. Over half of the graduates who are seeking jobs want to stay in Germany. The remainder will be seeking positions when they return to their homelands or to other countries.
An IUB Alumni Association was founded on May 30, 2004 by the first graduating class of IUB. They are about to spread all over the globe and want to stay in touch with their Alma Mater as well as their fellow students after their time at IUB.
International University Bremen
International University Bremen (IUB) is a private, independent institution in Germany which offers fully accredited, internationally recognized Bachelor's, Master's and Doctoral Degrees in the following areas: Biochemical Engineering, Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Biology, Chemistry, Computational Science, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Geosciences and Astrophysics, Mathematics, Physics, History and Theory of Art and Literature, History, Integrated Social and Cognitive Psychology and Integrated Social Sciences. The language of instruction is English. A system of residential colleges on campus with strong student life programs and a multinational faculty and student body make the IUB experience truly international both inside and outside the classroom. IUB supports a strong cooperation with the public university of Bremen and the Rice University in Houston/Texas (U.S.A.).
Jacobs University Bremen
Contact: Corporate Communications and Media Relations
Tel: 0421 200 4455
Fax: 0421 200 4453
http://www.jacobs-university.de
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