Celebrating Germans in America

When German-American Day was celebrated at the German Embassy on October 6, it was a success story for Don Tolzmann, director of German American studies, who spearheaded its formal designation through Congress. Tolzmann was present when President Ronald Reagan authorized German-American Day as a way to commemorate the 1683 landing of the first shipload of German immigrants in the Pennsylvania colony and to honor the more than 43 million ethnic Germans then in the United States. Today approximately 65 million people or 23% of the U.S. population is of German ancestry. Tolzmann attended this year's Embassy reception, where there were more than 2,500 guests.

A group of McMicken students found another way to celebrate Germany when they spent seven weeks during the summer at Middlebury College's language school. They were required to sign a pledge promising to use only German in classes, dining halls, dormitories, and throughout a range of co-curricular activities. Dan Brooks, Pamela Glaser, Jessica Hill, Seth Jones, Bridget Smith, and Belinda Tidwell, as well as a CCM student, discovered that the work was intense but also worth it because Middlebury's summer programs set the international standard for excellence in language instruction. Karl Obrath, associate professor of German studies is also associate director of Middlebury's German School.

Another group of McMicken students and colleagues from CCM and COB became better acquainted with Germany when they

joined a twelve-day trip to Berlin organized by the German studies department. Professor Richard Schade led them through the city's history, and they also had time on their own to shop and visit theaters, concerts, and museums. A highlight was a briefing at Germany's State Department where Schade, who is German Honorary Consul in southwest Ohio, arranged a discussion on German / United States relations. For more information on the fieldtrip/course requirements, German Studies 174, check out

German studies' study abroad web page.