Students meet German diplomat at forum
Eleven Piedmont students and two professors meet Dr. Klaus Scharioth
by Matthew Jackson
Issue date: 2/8/10 Section: Features
When 11 Piedmont students and two Piedmont professors went to Georgia Tech on Jan. 28, they expected to hear the French and German ambassadors in a forum to which Tech was playing host.
What they did not expect was to shake hands with His Excellency, Dr. Klaus Scharioth.
Scharioth is the German ambassador to the United States and he and His Excellency Pierre Vimont, the French ambassador to the United States, were in town for a ribbon-cutting ceremony in Atlanta.
The trip was organized by Monika Shulte, adjunct professor of German. She and Dr. Stephen Whited, chair of humanities, took the students to the forum and dinner afterward. Shulte offered the trip first to students in German classes, but the trip was open to anyone. One student taking French also went.
The group arrived early and that is what gave them the opportunity to meet Scharioth. They were waiting for the conference to begin when Scharioth walked in early. Shulte, who is from the same general area in Germany as Scharioth, approached the ambassador and asked if he would be willing to take a picture with her and the others. "What impressed me," says Shulte, "is that he took the time to shake every one of our hands and greet us individually." They also met Dr. Lutz Hermann Görgens, the German Consul General in Atlanta.
After the French ambassador arrived, the forum began. Moderated by Dr. Vicki Birchfield, the topics included climate change , energy independence, nuclear disarmament worldwide, economic and financial problems, failing states, terrorism, Afghanistan and Iran.
The talk also turned to the importance of speaking foreign languages, something Shulte tells her students in class, because of translation difficulties during political meetings. The two diplomats did not seem to have problems; they were both fluent in English, and the other's language as well.
Shulte believes there are good opportunities, especially in the realm of business, for students choosing to study German. She even teaches an International Business Studies class, GER 360, on the topic.
For more information on studying German or the International Business Studies course, you can contact Shulte at mschulte0425@lions.piedmont.edu or Whited at swhited@piedmont.edu.
What they did not expect was to shake hands with His Excellency, Dr. Klaus Scharioth.
Scharioth is the German ambassador to the United States and he and His Excellency Pierre Vimont, the French ambassador to the United States, were in town for a ribbon-cutting ceremony in Atlanta.
The trip was organized by Monika Shulte, adjunct professor of German. She and Dr. Stephen Whited, chair of humanities, took the students to the forum and dinner afterward. Shulte offered the trip first to students in German classes, but the trip was open to anyone. One student taking French also went.
The group arrived early and that is what gave them the opportunity to meet Scharioth. They were waiting for the conference to begin when Scharioth walked in early. Shulte, who is from the same general area in Germany as Scharioth, approached the ambassador and asked if he would be willing to take a picture with her and the others. "What impressed me," says Shulte, "is that he took the time to shake every one of our hands and greet us individually." They also met Dr. Lutz Hermann Görgens, the German Consul General in Atlanta.
After the French ambassador arrived, the forum began. Moderated by Dr. Vicki Birchfield, the topics included climate change , energy independence, nuclear disarmament worldwide, economic and financial problems, failing states, terrorism, Afghanistan and Iran.
The talk also turned to the importance of speaking foreign languages, something Shulte tells her students in class, because of translation difficulties during political meetings. The two diplomats did not seem to have problems; they were both fluent in English, and the other's language as well.
Shulte believes there are good opportunities, especially in the realm of business, for students choosing to study German. She even teaches an International Business Studies class, GER 360, on the topic.
For more information on studying German or the International Business Studies course, you can contact Shulte at mschulte0425@lions.piedmont.edu or Whited at swhited@piedmont.edu.
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