Nachbarn in Übersee
Hauptplatz-Rathaus Graz
In 1949, former US President Dwight D. Eisenhower founded the global "People-to-People" programme as part of his efforts to achieve world peace. The cities of Graz in Austria and Montclair in the USA participated in this program right at the beginning and are still sister cities today. In the course of this city friendship and by initiative of an American university professor in Graz, the American association Overseas Neighbors, and shortly afterwards its Austrian counterpart, “Nachbarn in Übersee” was founded. The initial purpose was to support Austria after the Second World War and to ship medical equipment. However, after a short time a student exchange programme between the universities in Graz and Montclair was initiated, which has been maintained very successfully and with great pleasure until today.
A board consisting of eight honorary members officially manages the activities of the association. In practice, several former exchange students are actively involved, meeting several times a year for events and preparation of the newly selected students and representing the association to the outside.
Every year, two Austrian students get the unique opportunity to spend a whole academic year in the USA and two American students come to study in Graz. The scholarship includes not only tuition, but also accommodation and partly meals, learning materials and public transport tickets for the duration of the stay.
This student exchange has been running for 70 years - initially there was one student per country, but since the 1980s two students are selected each year.
Universities of Graz/AT and Montclait/USA, City of Graz, Overseas Neighbors
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