On 15 November, the Global and European Studies Institute at Leipzig University was host to the graduation ceremony for the European Master in Global Studies (EMGS). There was more than one good reason, as the evening marked both the graduation of the current cohort, and the 20th anniversary of the international Master program. Students, their families and friends, faculty members, guests from partner universities and numerous visitors from Germany and abroad came together to celebrate the graduates and reflect on two decades of joint academic endeavor.
The event began with welcoming speeches and an overview of the programme’s development. Since its inception in 2005, the programme has grown steadily and is now one of the most significant European programmes in the field of global studies. Prof. Brigitte Latzko (Vice-Rector for Talent Development at Leipzig University), Prof. Matthias Middell (Vice-Rector for Internationalisation and a long-standing programme pioneer) and Prof. Andrea Kern (Dean of Studies at the Faculty of Social Sciences and Philosophy), as well as Dr Steffi Marung (Director of GESI and spokesperson for the consortium), emphasized the unique role of EMGS in bringing together students from all over the world and equipping them with a scientifically sound yet practical understanding of global interdependencies. In an interdisciplinary environment, and with the long-standing and generous support of the European Union for the transnational master’s programme, excellent teaching helps prepare young people for the complex global challenges they will face.
In their own speeches, freshly graduated students from all study places shared their experiences and the memories they cherished, celebrating an international community fostering open-mindedness, curiousity and resilience in the face of many global crises.
The event culminated in a formal presentation of certificates, followed by a reception at which students, their families and teachers could gather and celebrate 20 years of EMGS.
We congratulate all graduates on their achievements and wish them every success in their future endeavors. We stay connected!
For those who could not join: You find the recording on GESI’s youtube channel: www.youtube.com/watch
