Mercator College for international tasks
The Mercator College for International Tasks is a project of the German National Academic Foundation and the Mercator Foundation , in cooperation with the Federal Foreign Office and the Swiss Study Foundation and the Mercator Switzerland Foundation in cooperation with the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs.
organization
Every year, the college supports 20 German-speaking university graduates and young professionals to promote and qualify young people who want to start their careers in an international context. The college is linked to a scholarship and prepares you for a career start, particularly in the areas of foreign and security policy, international economic and financial relations, and technical, scientific and development-related cooperation. The rector is the former State Secretary and Ambassador to Washington Klaus Scharioth .
During the thirteen-month program, the fellows work in two to three international organizations and globally active NGOs around the world. A self-chosen project topic of global relevance (possible thematic frameworks are e.g. foreign and security policy, economic, health, migration, cultural, climate and energy policy) determines the choice of workstations. In college phases, they discuss global problems with high-ranking personalities such as the UN High Commissioner for Refugees or the German Chancellor's foreign policy advisor. There are also summer and winter schools to develop leadership and key skills, including rhetoric, communication and negotiation training. All travel expenses for days abroad are covered. In addition, additional funds are available for conferences and language courses. The students are embedded in a network of over 400 alumni who are organized in the network for international tasks .
Program and story
| Rectors of the Mercator College and the former Foundation College for international tasks | |||
| No. | Surname | Term of office | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Klaus Otto Nass | 1995 to 2000 | |
| 2 | Tono Eitel | 2001 to 2007 | |
| 3 | Heimo Richter | 2007 to 2011 | |
| 4th | Klaus Scharioth | 2011 until today | |
The program management is in the hands of Wiebke Hamel, Stiftung Mercator, and Julia Schütze, Studienstiftung des Deutschen Volkes.
Web links
- Program page of the Mercator Kolleg
- Program website of Stiftung Mercator GmbH
- Program page of the Studienstiftung
- Alumni network
Individual evidence
- ^ Klaus Scharioth is the new rector of the Mercator College for international tasks. Press release. Stiftung Mercator , August 31, 2011, accessed on January 2, 2020 .