Consulate Celebrates International Education Week
November 17, 2009.
In support the International Education Week, the consulate organized a number of events throughout NRW. Deputy Consul General Chris Grossman discussed U.S. foreign and domestic policies with high school audiences in Neuss, Cologne, Dorsten and Muehlhausen. Fulbright teaching assistant Julia de Sylor was invited by the American Institute for Foreign Study in Bonn to brief 50 German high schoolers who will start their U.S. exchange in January 2010. And Education USA specialist Petra Spitz offered a workshop on Study USA on November 17 at the Dortmund Public library. These events gave high school students a chance to discuss U.S. society with an American diplomat and also pointed out the benefits of an U.S. experience for young Germans. | Meet US School Outreach Program | Education USA

Indianapolis Mayor Gregory Ballard Warmly Received At Cologne City Hall
November 16, 2009.
A reception hosted by Lord Mayor Juergen Roters highlighted the visit in Cologne of Indianapolis Mayor Gregory Ballard and his delegation on November 16.  Speaking at City Hall, Mayor Ballard noted that all his predecessors had made it a point to visit their partner city Cologne, a sign of the importance that Indianapolis attaches to this transatlantic connection. Both Mayors Ballard and Roters acknowledged the excellent work of the partnership committees which regularly organize exchanges and cultural programs as well as economic activities. The visit of the U.S. guests also included appointments at the Cologne international trade fair facilities, the Chamber of Commerce and several companies and utilities in the city. | Freundeskreis Köln-Indianapolis e.V.

Consul General Attends Groundbreaking Event For New Mosque In Cologne
November 7, 2009.
Together with Cologne City and NRW officials, Federal Minister of State Werner Hoyer, the President of the Turkish government’s Religious Affairs Directorate (Diyanet) Ali Bardakoglu and Minister of State Faruk Celik, Consul General Janice Weiner was a guest of honor at the laying of the cornerstone for the new mosque and cultural center in Cologne. Once completed, the mosque will accommodate over 1,000 in the prayer hall and contain facilities for cultural events and exchanges. Consul General Weiner was invited to take an active part in the ceremony - with shovel in hand she helped to lay the foundation stone. | Photo gallery (DITIB)

Students In Dortmund Check Out Study Opportunities In The U.S.  
November 7, 2009.
300 high school students and parents collected information about ways to spend time in the U.S. (and in other countries) at an all-day youth fair at the Geschwister Scholl Comprehensive School in Dortmund on November 7. The great resonance at the fair reflected the continuing interest of young Germans to have an experience abroad. The participation of Education USA specialist Petra Spitz ensured comprehensive and current information about studying, doing volunteer work or internships in the U.S., including on financial aid and visa questions. | Education USA

Consul General Janice Weiner as “witness to history” - commemorating the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Wall
November 5, 2009.
In the context of its Europe Music Awards, MTV invited selected guests from media, business, politics, and the creative industry to an afternoon program exploring the events around November 9, 1989. The program featured Duesseldorf Consul General Janice Weiner and Minister-Counselor for Political Affairs, George Glass, from the U.S. Embassy Berlin, who shared their experiences of serving at the U.S. Embassy in East Berlin during the fall of the Wall and the Reunification process in 1989/1990.

Consul General Participates In Editorial Roundtable In Essen
November 4, 2009.
At a one-hour roundtable with editors at regional daily Westdeutsche Allgemeine Zeitung (WAZ) in Essen on Nov. 4, Consul General Janice Weiner emphasized the global importance and value of the German-American partnership. The discussion, moderated by deputy chief editor Wilhelm Kluemper, was timely taking place the day after Chancellor Merkel’s address before Congress and the GM decision on Opel. Consequently, the exchange focused on the USG’s reaction regarding GM’s decision to keep Opel, the global financial crisis, the new Afghanistan strategy, the upcoming Copenhagen summit on climate change, and the importance of Europe for the U.S.

Konrad Adenauer Alumni Briefed At The Consulate
October 29, 2009.
A group of students from Cologne University, all of them grantees of the Konrad-Adenauer-Foundation, visited the Consulate on October 29, where they had a wide-ranging discussion with Consul Chris Grossman. The students were interested to learn about U.S. diplomacy and foreign policy and current events. Chris Grossman explained how the Foreign Service and the State Department represent the U.S. abroad, focusing on Mission Germany and the public diplomacy activities of the Consulate in Duesseldorf.

Dialogue On Post-Conflict Reconstruction In Bonn
October 29, 2009.
Barbara Balaj, independent consultant for the World Bank, engaged important audiences on post-conflict reconstruction issues on October 29 in Bonn. At a roundtable discussion at the Bonn International Center for Conversion (BICC) moderated by Director Peter Croll she gave an overview of the post-conflict reconstruction activities of the U.S. government in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. A subsequent luncheon on “Women in Post-Conflict Societies“ involved representatives of the Federal  Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development as well as international development organizations. Both program events explored opportunities of economic cooperation in the Middle East facilitated by the World Bank and the role of the U.S. as a broker.

Minister President Juergen Ruettgers Welcomes Consul General Janice Weiner To NRW
October 28, 2009. 
On October 28, Minister President Dr. Juergen Ruettgers received Consul General Janice Weiner for her official introductory call at the State Chancellery. Dr. Ruettgers noted his regular annual visits to the United States and the importance the state government attaches to close bilateral relations. The meeting was an opportunity to review the varied and close connections between North Rhine Westphalia and the United States, in particular the economic interdependence and numerous exchange programs, and to discuss the challenges the world economic crisis presents. | State Chancellery press release & photo

High School Students In Essen Interested In Policies of the Obama Administration
October 27, 2009.
On Oct. 27, Deputy Consul General Chris Grossman discussed U.S. policies and society with 90 students at Gymnasium Essen-Werden, an active partner of post’s MeetUS program. The 12th graders showed keen interest in current foreign and domestic challenges facing the Obama Administration and used the discussion to get first-hand views from the U.S. diplomat. Most questions centered on the economic crisis, climate change, the struggle against extremism and health care reform. Many of the students had spent a high school year in the U.S. and demonstrated their knowledge and expertise in exchanges with the speaker. | Meet US School Outreach Program

NRZ Portrays Consul General As A “Top Woman” In NRW
October 23, 2009.
In the October 23 issue of the Neue Rhein Ruhr Zeitung (NRZ) Consul General Janice Weiner is portrayed in the newspaper’s special series “Top Women in NRW.” The detailed article describes her career as a senior U.S. diplomat, her first impressions of the state capital and the focus of the public diplomacy work at the consulate. There is also a reference to the fact that three of the five U.S. Consuls General in Germany are women. Other women in leadership positions featured in the series include: the director of the Duesseldorf art museum, the president of Duesseldorf technical college and the CEO of a major company located in NRW. | Read the article