The History of the Miami University Dolibois
European Center
It is highly gratifying
that for some time now we have been enrolling the 2nd generation
of MUDEC students. The fact that many of our applicants are
the friends, neighbors, siblings and children of MUEC / MUDEC
alumni, testifies to the excellence of our academic and cultural
program from its inception. This is the 37th anniversary of
our exciting and highly successful European campus.
In 1968 Miami University opened a new Center in
the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg in the period when
the catch phrase on America’s college campuses
was “junior year abroad.” The experience
of two world wars and the dramatic social upheaval
in the 1960’s convinced many that global
peace and understanding should be advanced through
study abroad. Charles Ray Wilson, Provost of Miami
University, was committed to expanding the global
outlook of Miami and offering the students greater
international opportunities. The idea for Miami’s
European Center was conceived by Wilson and a
small group of committed administrators and faculty
at Miami, including Vice President John E. Dolibois,
Vice President Robert F. Etheridge, Professors
Warren L. Mason, Jacques Breitenbucher, Howell
C. Lloyd, Marcy S. Powell, Dwight L. Smith and
Del Snider. These men had experienced the joy
and enrichment of living and studying abroad and
wanted to create a similar opportunity for Miami
students.
The countries and sites that were initially considered
included Japan, Switzerland, France, Austria,
and Luxembourg. An exploratory group was appointed
by President Phillip Shriver to visit potential
sites in Europe along the line of French and German
cultural and linguistic transition. The members
of that group were Professor Warren L. Mason of
the Department of Government (now Political Science),
who served as chair, John E. Dolibois, Vice President
for Development and Alumni Affairs, Robert F.
Etheridge, Vice President of Student Affairs,
and Professor Dwight L. Smith of the History Department.
They set out with an unusual goal: to find a location
that would foster and support an educational center
abroad independent of other universities, a location
where our center would stand out and enjoy a high
degree of support from the local community and
its leaders. It was Dolibois who first suggested
his native Luxembourg and was to be very instrumental
in establishing the Miami University European
Center (MUEC) as well as cultivating access to
every segment of Luxembourg society on behalf
of Miami.
The Perfect Location
The Luxembourg government and leadership have
been very supportive and welcoming from the beginning.
It was very important that our Center was initially
the only foreign university in the community and
could count on visibility and undivided support.
The people of Luxembourg were and remain very
friendly to the United States. It is a nation
characterized by international leadership in business
and diplomacy, domestic stability, social cohesiveness,
and strong sense of community. The fact that Luxembourg
families are multilingual eases students’
immersion into the community and the cultures
not only of Luxembourg but also of Europe. The
small size of the country and Luxembourg City
imbues the lifestyle with a slower tempo, giving
our students greater opportunity to really get
to know the local people. Luxembourg’s location
in the heart of Western Europe affords easy access
to many European countries and facilitates long-distance
travel. Luxembourg is the perfect location.
MUDEC owes much to the guidance and foresight
of its Directors
Dr. Warren L. Mason, our first director, 1968-70
and again in 1980-82
Dr. J. Bryan Collester, 1970-72
Dr. Leslie S. Brady, 1972-77
Dr. Pierre R. Sotteau, 1977-79
Dr. Charles E. Teckman, 1979-80
Dr. Ivan D. Lakos, 1982-89
Dr. Ekkehard F. R. Stiller, Dean, 1989-present
and to its many committed and idealistic
faculty and staff over the years:
The warm, welcoming and extraordinarily dedicated
staff, faculty and friends of the Center have
made it into an academic and cultural oasis of
international learning and lasting friendships.
So many have contributed to the success of the
Center -- far too many to list here – none
more so than Maisy Dumont, Assistant Director,
and her husband Francis Dumont, who for 30 years
have provided the Center with incomparable skill,
energy, enthusiasm and hospitality.
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The
First Center: Centre Settegast at 24, rue
du Curé
When the Center first opened in Luxembourg
City in 1968, not far from the Grand Ducal
Palace, the ceremony was attended by Grand
Duke Jean. In those days the students crossed
the Atlantic by ocean liner via Southampton,
and participated in a 3-week study tour
of Western Europe prior to their arrival
in Luxembourg. The program was already open
to all divisions and majors of the university.
The first group was 42 students strong.
Classroom space was limited. One large classroom
was located in the nearby historic landmark
building known as “um Rost.”
The program was designed to be a full-year
experience. There was much esprit de corps
among the students and between students
and faculty, and because the students remained
the entire year, their relationship with
their host families was very close. |
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The Second Center:
Rue Goethe
In 1972, MUEC moved under the directorship
of Brian Collester across the Pont Adolphe
with 68 students to 9, rue Goethe, a building
that included classrooms, adequate office
space and a student lounge. Later in 1972,
Leslie Brady became Director after a career
of distinguished service with the State
Department. He established a library nearby
at 14, rue Michel Rodange. The Student Activities
Coordinator position was created, and the
Center has been blessed ever since with
excellent, enthusiastic coordinators who
invested heavily of themselves to organize
student activities, aid students in pursuing
personal interests, provide them with travel
information, counsel students to help them
adjust to their new culture and family situation,
and provide administrative assistance as
needed. They have risen admirably to the
challenge of their many duties. |
Beginning in 1975, the Center offered US-based
Miami faculty unparalleled opportunities for teaching
and research in Europe, with the creation of the
Visiting Scholar and Visiting Professor appointments.
These positions continue to draw faculty to MUDEC
to share their expertise while experiencing European
culture and the international intellectual climate
right along with our students. Our faculty members
tell us that they especially cherish the greater
amount of interaction with students that characterizes
our Luxembourg campus. They form lifelong bonds
with students and have the privilege of continuing
as part of students’ lives as they go on
to many fields of graduate study and full-time
employment. This is the ultimate reward for teaching.
Under Dr. Sotteau, the program was given a rousing
vote of confidence in 1978 by a presidential review
board back in Oxford and at the 10th anniversary
celebration in Luxembourg with His Royal Highness
Grand Duke Jean.
In 1979 Dr. Teckman established one of the invaluable
allied opportunities for Miami students through
the Center—the student teaching program
at area international schools and schools of the
Department of Defense.
In 1980-81, under Dr. Mason’s leadership,
the core courses, now called “base”
courses, were introduced together with field study
tours, and a more cohesive curriculum was developed.
MUDEC expanded its curricular focus on the European
Community due to worldwide recognition of the
EC’s success and the important role that
Luxembourg and Luxembourgers played in it.
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The Third Center:
Avenue Monterey
In 1982, the Center moved once again across
the Pont Adolphe, this time under Director
Warren Mason, to avenue Monterey at the
beautiful city park. This Center offered
the larger student body of 98 students considerably
more space, including classrooms, offices,
a Cave with comfortably furnished lounge,
and, across a cobblestone courtyard, a separate
library building/lecture hall.
Later that year Dr. Lakos became Director
of our already well-established Center to
maintain and solidify the Center’s
excellent reputation. He enriched the program
with a timely Central European dimension,
and continued to encourage more Ohio-based
Miami faculty to teach and share their European
specialties at the Center. From its inception,
the curriculum was designed to focus on
Europe and to integrate the course work
with travel. An excellent example is Lakos’
current International Studies course at
MUDEC: it helps students realize the potential
to deepen and broaden their knowledge of
Europe by integrating targeted classroom
topics with their travel experiences. |
In 1988, the Trustees of Miami University voted
to change the name of the Center from the Miami
University European Center (MUEC) to the Miami
University John E. Dolibois European Center (MUDEC)
to honor Miami Vice President and US Ambassador
Dolibois for his outstanding service to the university,
the Center, and the United States. Dolibois was
born in Luxembourg, emigrated to the US in 1931,
and attended Miami as an undergraduate. He served
the United States, his adopted country, with distinction
during and after World War II, when he was as
an interrogator before and during the Nuremberg
war crimes trials. As Miami’s Vice President
for Development and Alumni Affairs, he vigorously
supported the development of MUEC. Upon retiring
from Miami, Dolibois was appointed US Ambassador
to Luxembourg, where he and Mrs. Winifred Dolibois,
both Miami graduates, welcomed our Miami students
affectionately in the American Embassy residence.
Champagne in the courtyard to celebrate the
opening
of the current Center: the Château.
Château
de Differdange, Known as Miami's 4th Campus
In September of 1997, Dr. E. Stiller and the excited faculty,
staff and growing student body moved to a genuine medieval
castle in the city of Differdange. Our 16th century Château
and its villa, located in a beautiful and peaceful park in
Differdange, provide our students with added richness and
inspiration for their European experience. It is a privileged
vantage point from which to observe the way in which the past
informs the present and to witness current developments on
the world stage.
Dean Stiller’s leadership has infused MUDEC with
his unlimited enthusiasm, inspiration, and kindness since
1989. Under his stewardship, the Center has grown to 125-130
students per semester and MUDEC’s role as a nexus of
international educational opportunities reaching across the
Atlantic in both directions – in the arts, in science,
social science, international business, the humanities, research,
and now engineering -- has continued to expand. |
