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Recognizing Commitment To German-American Friendship
June 24, 2009. 
The Consulate’s celebration of Independence Day at the NRW Landtag on June 24 was the fitting occasion to acknowledge the activities of three organizations that are active in promoting German-American exchanges. Consul General Matt Boyse used the event to  present Ambassador’s Certificates of Appreciation to the German-American Society Ostwestfalen Lippe, the Heimatverein Verl for supporting the sister city partnership with Delphos (OH) and to the International Club Hamm for promoting the city’s partnerships with Chattanooga, Tennessee, and Santa Monica in California. Consul General Boyse noted the significance that private-public organizations play in strengthening the bilateral partnership.

Art Collector Richard Feigen Discusses The U.S. Art Market
June 23, 2009.
On June 23, Consul General Matt Boyse hosted a “morning coffee” at his residence for renowned New York art dealer and collector Richard Feigen, who offered an overview of the impact of the economic and financial crisis on the U.S. art market.  The audience of representatives of the Duesseldorf-Cologne art community, among them many art dealers and museum curators, had many questions, for example on how museums are dealing with financial constraints and about the emergence of New York as the main international art market. Co-sponsored by the Amerika Haus Verein, this event was a special opportunity to discuss Arts America and German-American artistic exchange. 

A Busy Week For Education USA
June 17 – 21, 2009.
Education USA specialist Petra Spitz was on the road this week to engage students at exchanges fairs in Cologne, Aachen and Essen. At Cologne’s University of Applied Sciences on June 19, Spitz provided information to students interested to spend a study year abroad. On June 20, she participated in an exchanges fair for students and their parents that took place at Aachen University’s technology center organized by the International Education Network. And on June 21, Spitz presented a lecture at a well-attended fair in Essen where she was much in demand to provide advice about spending a high school year in the United States, study at an American college or participate in one of the Work & Travel programs.  A total of 1,800 students attended the three exchanges events. | Education USA

More Pennsylvania-NRW Cooperation
June 19, 2009.
Representatives from the government of Pennsylvania and Northern Virginia made presentations at a June 19 conference at the NRW Ministry of Economics and Energy to deepen cooperation in the renewable energy area.  A representative of the Philadelphia office of German-American Dialogue on Renewable Energy (GADORE) also participated. Consul General Matt Boyse gave an overview of the partnership between the two states as well as the Administration's renewable energy priorities. | White House > Issues > Energy & Environment

50 Years In Germany: U.S. Company Xerox
June 18, 2009.
On June 18, Consul General Matt Boyse joined Xerox CEO Anne Mulcahy in Neuss to mark a half century of the firm's presence in Germany at an event with more than 300 guests.  While the Xerox executive reviewed the firm's evolution from a manufacturer of office equipment to a provider of sophisticated document management and other office technology solutions, the Consul General stressed the positive role U.S. investors like Xerox play in NRW and Germany more generally and in relations between the two countries. He added that Xerox innovations like the invention of the copy machine have so influenced our world that it has become impossible for our economies to function without them.  “A firm knows that it has made history when it becomes a verb,” he said.  

Concert Pays Tribute To American Composer Amy Beach
June 18, 2009.
American composer Amy Beach (1867-1944) was celebrated in a concert in the Westphalian city of Unna on June 18, sponsored by the Consulate. Born in New Hampshire, Beach was the first successful American female composer of large-scale art music. The event was dedicated to encounters with women composers representing three centuries and also included works by Clara Schumann, Lili Boulanger as well as contemporary composer Elisenda Fabregas. Performed by Christiane Meininger (flute), Rainer Gepp (Piano) and countertenor Joerg Waschinski, the concert introduced an important American composer worth rediscovering. 

Study USA Event At Aachen University
June 17, 2009.
“Go-Out – Ways to Study Abroad” was the motto of an information week devoted to international exchange programs at Technical University Aachen. The University’s International Office and Career Center hosted the event, supported by German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD). As part of the information week, the Consulate’s Education USA specialist Petra Spitz presented a lecture on study opportunities in the US on June 16 in which she also explained how to apply for an internship in the U.S. | Information on Studying in the U.S.

"Trade Talk" April 2009 cover. Photo: Stephanie Siegel

“Trade Talk” Business Magazine Features Interview with Consul General
April 2009.
“We are all sitting in the same boat” was how the new magazine “Trade Talk,” published by Wirtschaftsclub Duesseldorf,  titled a recent interview with Consul General Matt Boyse in its April 2009 issue.  In this cover story, the CG commented i.e. that while the origins of the financial crisis were in the U.S., its causes were much broader and can be traced to many international developments and many countries.  He highlighted the Obama Administration’s interest in improving consultation and cooperation with Germany and early visits by senior officials to Germany.  He also reviewed the enormous range and depth of economic relations between NRW and the United States, stressing the benefits to both societies of close trade and investment ties.  | Read the complete interview with CG Boyse conducted by Editor-in-Chief Dieter Knaut

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