Brief Overview
Montclair, New Jersey and Graz, Austria have been sister cities since 1949 when Montclair began to provide aid to hospitals in Graz after World War II. This relationship has since prospered into a glowing example of intercultural exchange. The Montclair-Graz Sister City Scholarship is co-sponsored by three programs: Montclair State University, Montclair’s Overseas Neighbors, and the City of Graz, this program is a display of the impact that intercultural exchange can have on both individuals and larger communities as a whole. In the words of Eisenhower, the Montclair Overseas Neighbors programs, which sponsors the Montclair-Graz Sister City Scholarship program, is the “cornerstone of people-to-people diplomacy.”
This scholarship is offered to two undergraduate students at Montclair State University each year. Both Montclair State University and Uni Graz send two students to each other, every year.
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History Here
This program is rooted in an effort for peace after a time of war. Pioneered by president Einshower, who also created the People-to-People program, this program operates under the goal to promote peace through intercultural exchange. Eisenhower believed that peace between nations could only happen through “understanding and mutual respect between individuals” which could only be fostered through direct contact between ordinary people. However peace is just one benefit to intercultural exchanges, but that list of benefits is for another article.
Interested in being a part of this history? Read on!
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What Does This Program Offer?
This program, on the Montclair end of things, offers Montclair two undergraduate students full tuition, room, and a small stipend for the Austrian academic school year. Beyond that this program offers students the unique opportunity to engage in an intercultural exchange between these two cities going back more than 70 years.
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Who Should Apply?
This program is only available to undergraduate students who attend Montclair State University in New Jersey.
However, if your heart is set on seeing Graz this program is hardly the only way! If you have come across this blog post and are not in this demographic please feel free to stick around to find other useful articles about studying in Austria on the “Montclair-Graz Specific Posts” page to more general study abroad posts on the “General Study Abroad Posts” page about topics ranging from importance of intercultural exchange to packing tips and tricks throughout the blog.
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Sources:
https://www.austrianinformation.org/winter-2009/montclair-graz.html
BND ABROAD 