Faculty and Staff Profiles:

Dr. Ekkehard F. Stiller, Dean of the Miami University Dolibois European Center and Professor of Management. He has directed the program since 1989 and taught economics for MUDEC from 1977-81 and again in 1988-89. Ph.D. and M. A. from the University of Hawaii, BA in economics, Magna cum Laude, McMaster University in Canada. Areas of expertise: International Trade and Finance, Business, Marketing, and Politics. Personal interests: reading, music, travel, community work and meeting people.

Base Course Professors:

Muriel Blaisdell, Ph.D. from Harvard University in the History of Science (1976). Professor of Interdisciplinary Studies, Miami University; Faculty Teaching Associate for the Center for the Enhancement of Learning and Teaching since 1990. Teaching interests: History of Biology and Medicine (What is human nature?), Science and Religion, Women and Minorities in the Sciences, Darwin . Research project in progress: Going to Extremes -- Scientific Exploration of the Tropics and the Poles.

Matthew Gordon, Ph.D., Columbia University, Middle East Languages and Cultures (1993). Visiting Assistant Professor at Boston College and The Rhode Island School of Design, now Associate Professor, Islamic and Middle East History, Department of History, Miami University of Ohio. He has published one monograph and a number of articles on medieval Islamic history, particularly on the political and social affairs of the Abbasid caliphate (c. 750-1250). He is presently working on a full-length study of slave singers and courtesans in the Abbasid cities of Samarra and Baghdad (ninth century). He will be offering courses on Islam in Europe (past and present) for the MUDEC program.

Emile Haag, University Studies in Luxembourg, Aix-en-Provence and Sorbonne, Paris in Philosophy and Literature, Ph.D. in Luxembourg in 1966. He has served as MUDEC’s history professor since the beginning (1968-69). He is also the Director of the Athénée de Luxembourg, President of the Public Service Union, and President of the Chamber of Public Functionaries and Employees. Areas of expertise: European History of the 19th and 20th centuries, Education and Educational Administration. Personal interests: world cultures and travel.

Paul T. Nelson, Ph.D. in Marketing and Transportation Administration ( Michigan State University 1970 ) will teach International Business (BUS 371) and Principles of Marketing (MKT 291) during Fall 2007, and International Business again along with International Marketing (MKT 471) in Spring 2008. This will be Dr. and Mrs. Nelson's fifth assignment to the Miami Luxembourg campus. Previously he taught at our Oxford campus, the University of Texas at Austin, and most recently at the College of Charleston in South Carolina. All four of the Nelson children attended Miami, and two were students here at the Luxembourg Center. His special areas of interest are Marketing, Logistics, and Intermodal Transportation.

Professors:

Georges Backes studied music at the Conservatory of Luxembourg, (First Prize Diploma), at the National Conservatory of Music in Stuttgart, Germany, at the Royal Conservatory of Brussels, Belgium (final diploma with “grande distinction”) and at the Britten-Pears School for Advanced Musical Studies in Aldeburgh, Great-Britain. Currently he teaches Great Ideas in Western Music (Music 189) at MUDEC and he is a professor for voice training and “Lied”-interpretation at the Music Conservatory in Luxembourg City. He performs as a tenor with many orchestras all over Europe, with the conductors John Eliot Gardiner, Leopold Hager and others, performing oratorios and doing song recitals (Liederabende). He is a member of the Luxembourg National Music Council; his personal interests are the arts in general (music, painting, architecture) and traveling.

Josette Barnett, Post Graduate Certificate of Education at London University School of Education. She has taught French at MUDEC since 1983. Areas of expertise: politics, films, comparative literature and education. Personal interests: she is active in social work, helping immigrants learn French and integrate into European society.

Philippe Briot, Maîtrise in Sociolinguistics and in French as a Foreign Language at Université de Nancy II. He teaches Beginning and 2nd year French at MUDEC, is the Coordinator of MUDEC’s French Department, and teaches Supervised Training for Drill instructors (French 315.L, 316.L). Areas of expertise: phonetics, sociolinguistics, French civilization and grammar. Personal interests: reading, writing, music, movies, and travel.

Joris Buyse, Master's in Economic Sciences with Honors, U.C. Louvain; Licentie with honors in Economics, K.U. Leuven; Postgrad studies, Geneva. I worked for eight years for the IMF in Washington D.C. During this period, which roughly coincided with the Latin American debt crisis, I traveled extensively to Latin America and Africa, including some major countries such as Brazil, Nigeria and Venezuela. 1988-2001, I was active in Luxembourg’s financial sector and gained first-hand experience in international credit and capital market operations, correspondent banking, as well as in risk and portfolio management. My activities involved regular travel in Europe, North America and Asia. In 2001 I joined the General Secretariat of Luxembourg ’s Central Bank. My wife and I have four children. I am greatly interested in international relations, history, literature, languages and music (from Gregorian to Bruce Springsteen). Hobbies: skiing, hiking, cycling and photography. Spare time and energy allowing, I am active in certain human rights organizations in favour of religious freedom.

Mary Jean Corbett is the John W. Steube Endowed Professor of English and Affiliate of the Women’s Studies Program at Miami, where she has been a member of the faculty since 1989. Her research and teaching interests include nineteenth-century English and Irish literature, women’s writing, and autobiographical writing. Her current scholarly project considers the novelistic and historical representation of marriage and family from Jane Austen to Virginia Woolf. She is an avid baseball fan, and enjoys seeing films, listening to music, and spending time with friends and family.

Susan Marine, Ph.D. in physical chemistry and M.S. in analytical chemistry from Case Western Reserve University; B.S. in chemistry, magna cum laude, from John Carroll University. Associate professor; responsible for the Chemical Technology Program at Miami University Middletown. Teach general chemistry, analytical chemistry, chemical technology (with their respective labs), and various introductory courses. In 1997, taught History of Modern Chemistry as a travel course with 3 weeks in Europe. Will teach CHM 201 Chemistry in Art at MUDEC in spring 2008. Avocations include hiking, skiing, and travel; have climbed Kilimanjaro, Kala Patar, Gokyo Ri. I enjoy the challenge of adventure!

Guy de Muyser, Luxembourg Ambassador to the Soviet Union, Finland, Poland, Mongolia and Belgium during the years 1981-86, Permanent Representative at NATO from 1988-90. Dr. of Law, Luxembourg, M. A., Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy in Boston, Dr. h.c. in Human Sciences, Miami University in 1988. He has taught Political Science 270.L at MUDEC since 1993, focusing on East-West relations until 2001 and on major world problems starting in 2001. He also worked as an Administrator of a Luxembourg bank from 1971-1982 and the Luxembourg Red Cross in 1976. Areas of expertise: law, economics, diplomacy, history, and politics. Personal interests: politics, history, and art.

Dominique Dimmer, Maîtrise d’Anglais, Université de Haute Bretagne in Rennes. She has taught French at MUDEC since 1974. She teaches French 310, French in Context. Areas of expertise: architecture, interior decoration, and art. Personal interests: antiques, painting, picture framing, and traveling.

Osama Ettouney, Chair and Professor, Manufacturing and Mechanical Engineering Department at Miami University in Oxford; Ph.D. & M. S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Minnesota and MIT, respectively. His research interests include: Engineering Design, Computer-aided Experimentation, and Computer-Integrated Manufacturing Systems. His teaching interests include classroom pedagogy and assessment, computers application in the classroom and lab, learning technologies and lab design, team teaching, and professional ethics. He has taught courses in engineering science, design, manufacturing, history of technology, and in the area of Science, Technology, and Society. Dr. Ettouney spent the spring ’02 semester at MUDEC to develop a new virtual lab for engineering students and taught an introduction to engineering design course which emphasizes among other things international, cultural, and historical perspectives. Students may take MME 277.L (International Perspectives, Engineering Design, and the Virtual Lab) in MUDEC’s virtual lab as an independent study for 1-4 credits under Dr. Ettouney’s direction.

Caroline Ewert, university studies in Luxembourg and Strasbourg. Maîtrise in French literature at the Université de Strasbourg--Marc Bloch. She teaches Beginning French at MUDEC and also works as a French teacher at the Lycée Classique Diekirch and the Athénée de Luxembourg. Areas of expertise: French literature and grammar. Personal interests: reading, music, movies, travel and korfball.

Christine Gofflot-Vankrunkelsven, Doctorandus at A. Mieckiewictz University in Poznan, MA, the University of Brussels and Hasselt in Limbourg, Belgium. Since 1990 she has been teaching MUDEC’s Art History 188 (From the Renaissance to the Present –with examples and background information going back to antiquity). Other areas of expertise: Dutch language, French, German, and Polish. She does lectures and freelance work in art for the European Commission, in European museums and art journals, and guest lectures at several universities. Personal interests: music, nature, travel, and works of art in private collections and museums all over the world.

Michael Hakenberg, Ph.D. in Public International Law, University of Würzburg, Germany. He teaches Introduction to the European Union (Political Science 230.L) at MUDEC and also teaches law at the Fachhochschule (University of Applied Sciences), Trier, Germany. In Spring 2003 he taught a course in International Business Law at the University of St. Thomas in Minneapolis/St. Paul. Areas of expertise: German, European and International Business Law.

Monique Kieffer-Kinsch, CUL (Centre Universitaire de Luxembourg), University of Metz, France. She teaches French Civilization (French 411) at MUDEC and has taught French for us since 1985. From 1974-2000 she also taught French, History, and an Introduction into Psychology of Human Relations preparing the students for their jobs as members of the management at IST (Institut Supérieur de Technologie). She is the President of a non-governmental association, SOS Faim – Action pour le Développement. Areas of expertise: literature, classical music, travel, painting, sculpture, theatre and ballet. Personal interests: reading and education in all its forms.

Jean-Paul Lehners, Ph.D. in Historical Demography and Family History, Vienna 1973. Professor of History, University of Luxembourg; Former Vice-rector, University of Luxembourg (2003-2007). President of the Commission consultative des Droits de l’Homme, Luxembourg; President of Omega 90 - Palliative Care, Luxembourg non-profit organization; Member of the Commission nationale pour l’UNESCO, Luxembourg. He was awarded the Lions prize for “Commitment to Human Dignity” in 2001.

Paul Lesch, Ph.D. in Political and Social Sciences (Ghent University). Teaches film and history at the Miami University John E. Dolibois European Center in Luxembourg and at the Université du Luxembourg. He is the director of the documentary film Call Her Madam (Samsa Film, 1997) on the American diplomat and party-giver Perle Mesta. He is also the author of René Leclère: Pionnier du cinéma luxembourgeois (CNA, 1999), Heim ins Ufa-Reich? NS-Filmpolitik und die Rezeption deutscher Filme in Luxemburg 1933-1944 (WVT, Trier 2002) and In the Name of Public Order and Morality: Cinema Control and Film Censorship in Luxembourg 1895-2005 (CNA, 2005). He has written for international publications such as Historical Journal of Film, Radio and Television, Film History and Cinema & Cie.

Charles Meder, Staatsexamen, Universität Freiburg i. Breisgau, Germany. He teaches Everyday Culture in German-Speaking Countries (German 321 and 322) at MUDEC and also teaches German at the Athénée de Luxembourg. He is the general content manager of the educational portal mySchool! Areas of expertise: German literature, culture and politics. Personal interests: reading, sports and travel.

Jean-Paul Putz, Docteur en Philosophie & Lettres in Luxembourg, studies in French, Latin and German languages, Universities of Nancy, Paris and Tübingen. He has been teaching at MUDEC since 1977 and currently teaches Practical French (French 307 and 308). He is also the Director at the Lycée des Garçons. Areas of expertise: French language and literature, educational training. Personal interests: literature and classical music.

Annette Rausch, Staatsexamen in German and History at the Albert-Ludwigs-Universität, Freiburg i. Breisgau, Germany. She has been teaching German at MUDEC since 1996 and currently teaches First and Second Year German. She also teaches German at the Lycée Technique Ettelbruck, Luxembourg. Areas of expertise: linguistics, especially principles of orthography and irregular verbs. Personal interests: running, reading, Italian cooking, Italy and Ireland.

Edward Tomarken, Professor of English full-time at Miami since 1974, Phd. University of Toronto, 1969, has written six books on Samuel Johnson, Shakespeare, and literary theory. He is now in his third teaching assignment at MUDEC and is presently working on a new book that combines cinema and literary theory. His Base Class for 2008-09 will be an adaptation of this book, European movies and literary theory.

Guy Vanhaeverbeke, Doctor in Law from Brussels University, Honorary Director of the European Parliament and Secretary General of the Trans-European Policy Studies Association, Director of the Office of Information of the European Parliament in Brussels, Strasbourg and Luxembourg. Dr. Vanhaeverbeke teaches Comparative European Politics and the Pursuit of European Unity (Political Science 321.L) at MUDEC. Areas of expertise are European Union law, institutions and policies. Personal interests are skiing, horseback riding, tennis and sailing.

Staff on the Luxembourg campus:

Raymond Manes, Maîtrise de Lettres Modernes, University of Metz, France. Assistant to the Dean, joined MUDEC after having established an outstanding track record in administrative leadership in a private language school in Luxembourg. He has extensive experience in post-secondary education, is proficient in French, German, Luxembourgish and Spanish, and takes a special interest in French literature and civilization. Areas of expertise: administration, marketing and banking. Personal interests: walking, jogging, hiking and collecting stamps.

Christiane Dumont, full time Housing Coordinator at MUDEC. She studied Fine Arts at the Sorbonne-Panthéon-Paris and pedagogy at the University of Trier, Germany. Recently she exhibited her art in collective art exhibitions. Personal interest: human nature.

Nicole Cozzi is our new Student Activities Coordinator. She has a B.S. in Supply Chain Management from Miami University. A spring '04 MUDEC student and '05 Miami graduate. Former professional experience includes distribution management for Target Corporation. Originally from Chicago, she has a inclination to move eastward -- to Columbus after graduation and now Luxembourg. Having had international exposure and serious travel experience for the first time when at MUDEC, Nicole has not looked back and continues to travel and thoroughly enjoys motivating and assisting others to maximize their own European experience. Currently, she is developing her French language skills and offers you a "bonjour!"

Laurent Peters, our System Administrator and Librarian, has just joined the staff. He served as an intern at MUDEC before receiving his degree as ingénieur industriel en informatique appliquée at the University of Luxembourg where he specialized in networks and distributed systems. As a native of Luxembourg , he is fluent in German, French and English. Personal interests: sound engineering and music of different genres like classical music, jazz, blues, rock… Hobbies: playing trumpet, pipe organ and bass guitar.

Claudine Stephany, Administrative Assistant since July, 1996. She is skilled in desktop publishing, is fluent in 4 languages, and is an invaluable resource and friend to us all. Her interests: hiking, bicycling, swimming, reading, travel, photography, and movies.

Staff on the Oxford Campus:

Cordelia Stroinigg, MUDEC Coordinator, Ph.D. and M. A. in German, University of Cincinnati; B. A., Wellesley College. At the University of Cincinnati she taught German and pedagogy from 1989-2001, coordinated the 1st year German program and the 1st-2nd year Swedish program, supervised the GTAs for both programs, and was the director for the UC Summer Program in Munich. She loves turning students’ dreams to study in Europe into reality. Interests: poetry, art, travel, nature, and gardening.

Sue Clark, Masters in Library Science, University of Illinois and MBA, Miami. Prior to working with MUDEC, Sue worked for 6 1/2 years at the Brill Science Library. She enjoys working with students and enjoys travel very much. Her other interests include reading, gardening and spending time with her family.

Billie J. Fields, Administrative Assistant, BA in Family Studies, Miami University. Billie is starting her 8th year with MUDEC. She finds working with the students and staff to be more than just a job: "It's a joy!" Her enthusiasm is infectious! Personal interests include supporting her children's sports programs, playing and coaching fast-pitch softball, working in her yard, and traveling with her family.

Plus our multi-talented MUDEC alumni student employees (for daytime and evening outreach):

Jeff Budde
Katie Conrad
Torrey Corrado
Deanna Cozzi
Lisa Dailey
Hannah Goehring
Katrina LeMense
Isaac Reynolds
Amy Schumacher
Kevin Snell
Caitlin Steger
Heidi Wolfram