Miami University and the Miami University Dolibois European Campus (MUDEC) have begun plans for next fall's 40th anniversary celebration of Miami's Luxembourg campus.
The MUDEC program began as a way for Miami students to become immersed in another country's culture and it is one of the oldest study abroad programs, according to Miami Provost Jeffrey Herbst.
"Forty is pretty old for a study abroad organization," Herbst said. "Study abroad programs were something very progressive during the '60s, and few programs are that old."
Herbst said the 40th anniversary celebration is important because it commemorates and reaffirms ties with the Luxembourg community and also celebrates Miami as an international university. Plans for the Oct. 14-17, 2008 celebration schedule have been underway since last semester.
The dates were coordinated with the Luxembourg government, and this was the most important element to decide on so that other plans could be made, such as entertainment, according to Herbst.
So far, a little less than 40 alumni have contacted the Luxembourg office on their own in order to be informed of all the plans in the near future.
Cordelia Stroinigg, coordinator for MUDEC, said the event is intended to bring alumni together as well as current and past staff and faculty. Stroinigg said Luxembourg is a tight-knit community and these members of the community are important to the students' experience while studying there.
The celebration will consist of a four-day event on campus in Luxembourg as well as locations such as the Séance Academique, with most of the larger events taking place in the evening. Some of the events will include a formal dinner, a concert with students participating, and a dinner dance on the passenger ship the Marie Astrid.
"Part of the daytime events for the alumni and those attending the celebration will be guided tours, sitting in on classes and talking with students during meal times," Stroinigg said. "Alumni are most excited about the informal part, to reconnect with students on their experiences in Lux."
Some possible guests in attendance include representatives from Oxford, President David Hodge, Herbst and other senior representatives from Miami University in Oxford. The 35th anniversary included guests such as ambassadors from Sweden, Austria, Rumania, Germany, the Netherlands, and the U.S, as well as past Miami presidents. According to Stroinigg, the Luxembourg campus hopes to have an equal turnout at this upcoming anniversary.
"All of (the museums) are brand new; the article sent out in the December alumni issue was probably the first time (alumni) had ever heard of them," she said. "It's exciting for alum and returning staff to see all the new things Luxembourg has to offer."
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The article encouraged former students to pack up and go, and to explore the old and new places that have left an impact on all of those that have studied at MUDEC.
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