About Us
Since 1976, there has been a very successful university partnership between the University of Innsbruck and the University of New Orleans in New Orleans (USA). The Center New Orleans is the partnership office of the University of Innsbruck, which coordinates all aspects of this exchange for the University of Innsbruck.
The Center New Orleans at the University of Innsbruck is the office in charge of the partnership between the University of Innsbruck and the University of New Orleans (USA). This treaty was officially established in 1983, but has informally been existing since 1976.
The New Orleans Center was established in 2010 to assist the Friendship Treaty Coordinator in maintaining and nurturing this partnership, as well as coordinating all activities taking place within Innsbruck. These include a very successful student exchange program, which allows numerous Innsbruck students to study at the University of New Orleans for one or two semesters.
The CNO provides information on studying at the UNO, the application process, residence options, and the numerous scholarships available. It processes the applications and forwards them to the Center Austria, the partnership office at the University of New Orleans.
Furthermore, it supports the exchange of guest professors and the organization of joint events (symposia, conferences, etc.) as well as joint publications. It informs lecturers of the University of Innsbruck about research and teaching opportunities at the UNO and other Universities in the USA.
The CNO stayed in contact with the UNO Austrian Alumni Association, an association of former UNO students, and helped to organise joint activities and events. In the spirit of the "Alumni Thought" these activities were intended to bond former Innsbruck students to their alma mater and establish long-lasting personal networks.
The Center New Orleans sees itself as a communication and coordination platform in the transatlantic academic exchange.
Team
Please direct any questions to Center New Orleans first, your e-mail will be forwarded to the person responsible.
Mag. Dr. Gerhard Rampl
Friendship Treaty Coordinator for the partnership between the University of Innsbruck and the University of New Orleans (UNO)
Dr. Rampl was appointed Friendship Treaty Coordinator in August 2018. He coordinates all matters and activities of the University Partnership. He also taught and researched at the UNO.
Leonie Kaupert
Student Assistant and Coordinator
Office Hours: Tu | Th | Fr 9:00-11:00
Center Austria
Center New Orleans is very grateful for the additional assistance provided by our Partnership Office at the University of New Orleans:
Marc Landry, Ph.D.
Director, Assistant Professor of History
Dr. Marc Landry is Director of the Austrian Marshall Plan Center for European Studies at the University of New Orleans, Associate Professor of History and Marshall Plan Endowed Professor in Austrian Studies.
A driving force behind the UNO-Uibk partnership, he helps sustain student exchanges and research collaborations, building on Center Austria’s long-standing transatlantic mission.
His scholarship bridges environmental and Central European history; his book, Mountain Battery: The Alps, Water, and Power in the Fossil Fuel Age (Stanford University Press), and articles in Environmental History and the Journal of Global History are available at the Innsbruck University library. He also serves as Series Editor of Contemporary Austrian Studies and regularly advances joint projects that spotlight the cultural and academic impact of the UNO-Innsbruck connection.
Originally from Colchester, Vermont, he grew up Nordic skiing and running, passions that reflect his alpine research interests. A UNO study abroad year in Innsbruck set him on the path to becoming a historian - and led to meeting his South Tyrolean wife - cementing Innsbruck as a second home. He spent a year in Innsbruck on a Fulbright grant and later served as Fulbright-Botstiber Visiting Professor here.
Gertraud Griessner
Project Coordinator
Mag. Gertraud Grießner, a Salzburg native, studied English and Spanish at the University of Innsbruck. She came to New Orleans when Center Austria opened its doors in 1997 and has been its Program Coordinator ever since, first under Director Günter Bischof and now under Director Marc Landry.
Thus she is the longest-serving person working in - and especially with everyone across - the UNO–Innsbruck partnership. She has been the veritable heart of the student exchange, while being involved in every facet of the partnership: student and staff exchanges, conferences, symposia, publications, and the International Summer School.