Academic Year Abroad (AYA) in Austria

Guest Editor: Dr. Margy Gerber

Dear Alumni and Friends of the BGSU AYA Austria Program,

„Jedem Neubeginn wohnt ein Zauber inne“ (Hermann Hesse). It was again a year of new beginnings in our Salzburg program! I am happy to announce that we have a new student assistant in our program in Salzburg – Caroline Gardner, who was an undergraduate in the program last year (see below). Now we have more (wo)manpower to continue our uphill hike. With her help, the program could afford more group trips by locating better travel arrangements, and we were able to undertake new initiatives. In 2022-23 we focused on building new curricular pathways, establishing new university partnerships for recruiting students, and launching a new advertising plan with the help of the BGSU administration. With Caroline assisting, I am certain that our current projects will have a better foundation for implementation. Both Caroline and I plan to attend the 2023 AYA Salzburg alumni reunion in September. We hope to see you there!

As the 2022-23 year began, we set our focus on the curricular pathways political science, history, and computer science. Building these new pathways required a close examination of the classes offered in English in these fields at the University of Salzburg and the Fachhochschule Salzburg and matching them with BGSU classes. With this step, we can assure that the classes will transfer to BGSU, so that students in these majors can work toward their BGSU degrees while in Salzburg. This year we had political science and history majors in the group. Next year the first computer science majors will join the AYA program. The next pathways to develop are psychology, music, and the arts, and an expanded summer program.

No program functions without proper marketing. We consider ourselves lucky that Cecilia Castellano, Vice President for Enrollment Management at BGSU, visited us in Salzburg last November. Due to her support, four BGSU administrators and three members of the marketing team visited Salzburg this July. The administrators had a chance to consider the potential of our program – and the marketing team produced a plethora of photos, videos, and recorded student statements. These materials will be included on our new website and on the BGSU website and on social media, where they will emphasize the high value of study abroad. Stay tuned for our new website and promotional materials.

2022-23 was also a year of meeting with you, the AYA alumni and BGSU faculty! We met with Prof. Margy Gerber during our Pfingstreise to Berlin; Shaydon Ramey and Kimberly Sherer joined us for our trip to Hallstatt; Prof. Christina Guenther stopped by in the summer, as did Prof. Edgar Landgraf. We are hoping that President Rodgers and the Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, Dr. Ellen Schendel, will visit us soon. We are happy to show our beautiful Salzburg to BGSU administrators and to point out the achievements and potential of the AYA program. Next year, we would also like to welcome administrators and program advisors from our partner universities.

The value of study abroad is priceless! As AYA alumni, you know that already. But this isn’t necessarily known to prospective participants in the AYA program. That’s why I started a longitudinal research project with you, the AYA alumni, to collect and document  your experiences abroad. It was truly a pleasure for me to speak with many of you from the 1970s, 80s, 90s and the new millennium. Your motivating stories are not just very useful for our prospective students, they also demonstrate the deep educational value of study abroad! Even as a teacher with more than twenty years’ experience in study abroad, I learned so much from you! Let me say “thank you” for your willingness to speak with me – and to those of you who have not yet responded, we will reach out to you! I will soon be able to report my findings, also at international conferences.

For us, next year´s slogan will – once again – be: “Ain´t no mountain high enough!"

Introducing Caroline Gardner, Dr. Guntersdorfer’s New Assistant

Caroline participated as a senior in the AYA program in 2021-22 and is now pursuing a master’s degree in linguistics at the University of Salzburg. This year she joined the AYA program team as Dr. Guntersdorfer’s assistant.

Caroline writes about herself:              

Participating in the BGSU AYA program in Salzburg changed my life! Ever since middle school, I had wanted to study abroad and learn a second language, but I couldn’t quite see how I would manage it. The AYA program’s affordability and the support it offers its students persuaded me to go to Salzburg for the fall semester of my senior year in 2021. I had made up my mind to graduate at BGSU in the spring with my friends and take a job in California the following year.

When I arrived in Salzburg, it was love at first sight. On my second day, I realized that just one semester wouldn’t be enough, and I decided to stay for the full academic year. It turned out to be the best year and the most impactful experience in my life so far. With the guidance of the program director, Dr. Guntersdorfer, and support from my friends, my resilience and self-confidence soared: I realized I can accomplish so much more than I ever expected of myself.

When Dr. Guntersdorfer approached me about an assistantship for the upcoming year, I didn’t hesitate to accept. In addition to working as Dr. Guntersdorfer’s assistant, I am pursuing a master’s degree in Allgemeine und Diachrone Sprachwissenschaft (general and historical linguistics) at the Universität Salzburg. The courses are quite challenging, but my professors and peers are very kind and accommodating.

While I do miss my friends, family, and American peanut butter, I feel very lucky to live in this beautiful city. When I’m not studying or working, you can probably find me hiking during the day and at the local jazz club in the evening. I’m very grateful to my BGSU professors for pushing me to go abroad and to the director for supporting me both during and after the program; without them, my life now would look completely different.

The AYA Summer Program in Salzburg 2023

By Ivett Guntersdorfer

The second year of our new summer program was a big success – and we have more plans for next year! This summer we filled a total of 17 spots (i.e., session enrollments) in our two sessions. In addition to our BGSU students, we welcomed students from the State University of New York (SUNY) and from Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU). We are more than fortunate to have excellent, engaged language teachers from the University of Salzburg: Mag. Anna Bauer, Mag. Jasmina Kobinovic, Mag. Anna Bachmann, and Frau Viktoria Bell, to provide high quality language instruction for our students. The summer and hills were filled with trips: the Eagle’s Nest, Königssee, the Untersberg, the Schafberg; and many tours, concerts and cultural activities were on our serving plate as well. The students visited other places – Prague, Munich, Vienna, Switzerland and more – on their own. And, an important note, they thoroughly partook of Salzburg’s nightlife (City Beats!). 

Our goal for the future is nothing less than to become THE Austrian summer program for American students. And we are fortunate to have the support of the BGSU administration! After BGSU administrators and a fantastic camera team visited us in Salzburg last July, we now have plenty of promotional materials for the summer program as well. 

Three AYA alumni spent the 2022-23 school year in Vienna as Fulbright Teaching Assistants

Every year Austria and Germany each award approximately 140 teaching assistantships to American college graduates to assist with English instruction in the secondary schools. Ordinarily, two graduates who studied with the AYA program in Salzburg receive these grants: one to Germany, the other to Austria. 2022-23 was exceptional in that three AYA alumni were selected, and all were assigned to Austria, all to Vienna! For two, Zoë Oswald and Jack Riegler, it was their second year as teaching assistants in Austria. Their grants had been renewed for another year. (They wrote about their first-year experiences in the 2022 Newsletter). 

The third recipient, Benjamin Foell, will also be returning to Austria for a second year, this time to Feldkirchen in Kärnten. He will spend the 2023-24 school year teaching at a Handelsakademie and a Gymnasium.

Here's what the three wrote about their experiences in Vienna this past year.

Jack Riegler (AYA 2017-18)

Between teaching English for a second year at the Technisches Gewerbemuseum in Vienna and beginning a master’s program in history at the University of Vienna, this year has flown by. I’ve also been learning to code online and volunteered at a local organization that provides medical equipment to Ukrainian hospitals.

I am extremely grateful for the opportunity to be a Fulbright teaching assistant, and for the experiences that it brought. I have grown a lot as an individual in my two years in Vienna. In the second year I grew closer to my mentor teachers, becoming a friend instead of a novice teacher. Ending the year was bittersweet. Bitter to say good-bye to good friends, a great work atmosphere, and a wonderful overall experience; sweet in knowing that I did something special and can walk away with a lot of growth, knowledge, and experience. I know I impacted my students’ lives just as much as they impacted mine. I will never forget the experiences I had or the memories I made there. 

However sad it is to leave the teaching assistantship in the rear-view mirror, it is exciting to continue my master’s in history at the University of Vienna. My professors are fantastic, my classes are extremely interesting, the work is tough but rewarding, and the atmosphere on campus is lively. This summer, I will move back to Cincinnati to work and earn some money before returning to Vienna to complete the last year of my master’s program. When I return to Vienna, I will have a part-time job working as a marketing associate for a business leadership consulting company. I am not sure what I will do after receiving my master’s. 

Dr. Earl McKinney of the BGSU Schmidthorst College of Business and 2022 Fulbright Professor at the Fachhochschule Salzburg was in the spotlight as our keynote speaker.  His engaging address recounted several highly relatable experiences of a first timer in Salzburg. Current AYA Austria’s Director Dr. Ivett Guntersdorfer, in Ohio on a recruiting tour, was also present. The alumni were delighted to meet and speak with Dr. Guntersdorfer in person. She in turn was pleased to meet BGSU President Dr. Rodney Rogers, who stopped by to check in with “one of his favorite alumni groups.” Dr. Rogers reminisced with the alumni and Dr. Guntersdorfer about his 2018 visit to Salzburg to celebrate the Program’s 50th anniversary. He expressed his admiration for the AYA Salzburg Alumni Group’s enthusiastic support of the program and noted the interest in study abroad in Salzburg. The day finished with a Bratwurst supper at the local Biergarten, Arlyn’s Good Beer.

Attesting to the longevity, continuity, and impact of BGSU’s AYA Austria program is a trio of alumni reunion attendees with a special connection. The threesome is pictured in the 2022 Reunion Collage below. The first ten people to correctly identify them and discern their connection will receive a set of the coasters also pictured in the collage. To enter the challenge, respond by email. Please include an address at which you can receive a small package. Good Luck!

News from the AYA Salzburg Alumni Group  

By Brett A. Porter (AYA 1983-84), AYA Alumni Group Coordinator  

As always, heartfelt thanks to all who continue to support the Academic Year Abroad in Austria Program! Every gift, no matter the amount, goes toward scholarships for students studying abroad in Salzburg. The three endowed scholarship funds (Shllaku, Foell, and Koepke) have grown significantly in recent years. For the upcoming 2023-24 school year, 18 BGSU undergraduates received funding to study in Salzburg. The Rhonda K. Westerhaus Scholarship, established in 2021, supports both students and in-service teachers attending the AYA Austria summer program in Salzburg. Thanks to the BGSU Foundation for maintaining our online Giving Page, which is instrumental for our fundraising!

Thanks as well to all the alumni and student volunteers working quietly behind the scenes to make our annual alumni brunch such a success. Each year during BGSU’s Homecoming weekend, we gather on the porch of Shatzel Hall, enjoy Austrian and German treats, share memories, and meet other alumni of the AYA program. Our beautiful banner with its Salzburg scene serves as backdrop, and numerous Austrian flags and German-themed decorations add to the Gemütlichkeit. Each year so far, we have been blessed with great weather, and the alumni turnout has increased from year to year. In the afternoon we now gather at nearby Arlyn’s Good Beer in Bowling Green to continue the celebration with games, great beer, and Bratwurst!

Thanks to all who contributed articles and content to the 2023 AYA newsletter – especially to our guest editor Dr. Margy Gerber for overseeing the project! This year’s newsletter has a different look. The university has decided to prepare all newsletters in an online format. The prescribed online format is shorter, which means a reduction in content. In the future, the Alumni Group may prepare its own newsletter, which would contain more alumni news and articles.

Thanks to our alumni and faculty board members for lending their time and oversight to the group! Also, over the past two years we have selected two honorary board members: Dr. Brian Pavlac (AYA 76-77, 78-79), Professor Emeritus of History at King’s College in Pennsylvania, and Dr. Earl McKinney, Professor of Management Information Systems at the BGSU Schmidthorst College of Business and Fulbright Scholar to Austria in Spring 2021. Both have been guest speakers at our annual alumni brunch.

Meetings of the alumni board are held quarterly and as needed to plan and oversee our alumni group’s activities. Alumni, faculty, and friends of the AYA program are welcome to join our Zoom meetings. Contact us.

Thank you, BGSU faculty and German Club, for inviting distinguished alumni to our annual Alumni Roundtable, where prospective AYA students can speak online with AYA alumni in various professions about their experiences in Salzburg and what they gained by studying abroad.

Thank you to the German faculty and AYA Program Director Dr. Ivett Guntersdorfer for recruiting yet another outstanding cohort of students to the program!

„You will learn about yourself!“

By Brett A. Porter (1983-84)                                        

This past fall I joined AYA Austria Program Director Dr. Ivett Guntersdorfer at a study abroad recruitment fair at The Ohio State University in Columbus. I met many wonderful students, all interested in studying abroad and many inquiring about our specific program. However, one student in particular stood out. She asked a probing question, and, initially, I thought I’d given her a good answer. On my drive home and upon further reflection, it occurred to me that I had missed the mark. Yes, my answer was correct, even okay in a sense, but it was more of a canned response and certainly not the best answer. She wanted to know: “What is the most important thing I would personally get out of your program?”

My answer centered around three things: language, travel and culture. I told her she would learn the German language, as classes are taught in German; she would have an opportunity to travel and visit other countries, because Salzburg is centrally located in Europe; and she would experience Austrian culture, which includes the best music, art, architecture, and food in the world! Judging by her expression, my answer was likely no different than every other answer she had already heard from every other school that day. 

I realized that my answer had failed to make a personal connection, a connection that might have inspired her to choose our program. What I should have said is, "You will learn about yourself!" I know this from my own year abroad in Salzburg. I learned about self-reliance, how to deal with adversity, how to work independently, but also how to work in a group. My time abroad was more than simply learning about language, travel, and culture; it was more a journey of self-discovery. What started out almost forty years ago as an opportunity to see the world became an opportunity to learn about myself – and the lessons I learned have remained with me throughout my life! AYA Salzburg made all the difference!

Supporting the BGSU Study in Austria Programs

The Dzidra Shllaku Scholarship Fund, the oldest, was founded in 1998 by former students of Dr. Shllaku to support undergraduate BGSU students in all majors for study abroad in Salzburg. Endowed in 2003, the fund provides an annual spendable amount to award as scholarships. Since 1998, more than 150 BGSU students have received a Dzidra Shllaku Scholarship award. The amount available for distribution for the 2023-24 year was approximately $16,500.

The Foell International Travel Award Fund was created by Darrell W. and Sally M. Foell in memory of his mother, Margaret Kaesmann Foell. The endowed fund supports students for study with the BGSU AYA Austria program and is based on merit. The fund yielded approximately $4,000 for scholarships in 2023-24.

The Galen and Katja Koepke Study Abroad Scholarship was established by the Koepkes in 2016. The endowed fund supports BGSU undergraduate and graduate students. The first scholarship was awarded for the academic year 2016-17. For 2023-24, approximately $2,500 was available for distribution.

The New Summer School Scholarship Fund

In 2021 AYA alumna Rhonda Westerhaus (1980-81) established the Rhonda K. Westerhaus Scholarship for Professional Development. The fund is intended to support K-12 and community college teachers attending the BGSU summer program in Salzburg. The sum of $1,000 was awarded for the first time in summer 2022.

How to Donate

If you would like to contribute to one or more of these funds, it is easy to do:

You can donate by check:
Include the name of the fund to which you want to donate and mail to:
BGSU Foundation, Inc.
1851 N. Research Dr.
Bowling Green, OH 43403

Or you can donate online

The four scholarships for study in Salzburg:

• Dzidra Shllaku Scholarship
• Foell International Travel Award
• Galen and Katja Koepke Study Abroad Scholarship
• Rhonda K. Westerhaus Scholarship for Professional Development

The following undergraduate students received stipends from the AYA scholarship funds to study in Salzburg in 2023-24:

Elyse Adrian (Political Science)                                  
Abigail Anderson (Social Work)                                                
Nicholai Barak (German & Spanish Education)
Nora Berry (Music-Voice/Women’s, Gender & Sexuality Studies)
Ean Compton (German)
Evan Dixon (International Business)
Alyssa Harper (German/Psychology)
Skylar Jacobs (Software Engineering/Computer Science)
Ryan Kilgallon (Forensic Science)
Olivia Matthes (Sports Medicine)
Bailey Price (International Studies)
Erica Putnam (History/Political Science)
Catherine Schneider (Digital Arts)
Dylan Selhorst (History)
Jessica Stewart (Communication Disorders)
Brendan Wingfield (International Studies)
Isaiah Wince (Marine Biology)
Layne Woodruff (Computer Science)

A Double Alumni Interview

The newsletter wants to call attention to particularly successful AYA alumni. There are many! Some were highlighted in the past, and more will be featured in future newsletters.

The interview was conducted by Dr. Geoff Howes, professor emeritus of German at BGSU.

Interview with Amy Craft Ahrens and Todd Ahrens from Bowling Green

Amy studied German and Russian at BGSU and was in Salzburg with the 1986-87 AYA group. After graduating, she taught English and German in Japan for a year before beginning her career in retailing. She is the owner and manager of For Keeps, the gift store in downtown Bowling Green. Amy is very active in the Bowling Green community.

Todd has a BA in International Business and German from Simpson College in Iowa. He was a master’s student with AYA Salzburg in 1989-90 and finished his MA in German in 1991. Todd has more than thirty years’ experience in non-profit institutions supporting the arts, museum, and education sectors. He is currently Vice President for Revenue Enhancement with the Arts Consulting Group, a Boston-based provider of various services for arts and culture organizations.

Do you feel that some experiences or aspects of your time in Salzburg have stayed with you so many years later? If so, please give an example or two.

Amy: The biggest and most important thing that has stayed with me is the friends I made during my time there. Some of them are still my closest friends today. And I met Todd through one of those friends, so I gained a husband, as well! Todd and I made some of the same Austrian friends while in Salzburg, even though we were there two years apart.

Todd: Certainly. A love of travel, adventure, and experiencing new things.

Do you have any noteworthy memories of your times in Austria?

Amy: Some of my favorite memories are times spent with friends in the dorms or hanging out at Stiegl Bräu or Augustiner. I was there for two summers (before and then after the program) and was more or less on my own after the BGSU students left at the end of the semester, so I enjoyed meeting and talking to tourists. I kind of played tour guide; it was fun to share the city with others. I also have great memories of traveling all over Europe with friends, laughing, drinking good beer, eating amazing food, drinking good beer.…

Todd: I had two memorable/different living experiences in Salzburg. I was first assigned to Billrothheim with a roommate who wasn’t the friendliest – though I also met others, some of whom are still my friends today. Then I had a chance to move to Schwarzes Rössl, where my roommate was the complete opposite of the first. While we don’t communicate often, when I’m in Salzburg, we pick up like it was yesterday.

To what extent has studying and living abroad influenced your professional lives?

Amy: I don’t know that it influenced my professional life directly. It did influence my decision to move to Japan after college to spend a year teaching English and German, though. It gave me a little time to decide what was next after college. That turned out to be returning to the retail world that I grew up in, first working for a gift retailer in Chicago and then later opening my own gift shop in 1997.

Todd: In my first job with the Chicago Symphony, the conductor, Daniel Barenboim, also conducted for the Berlin Philharmonic. I was asked to translate reviews of his Berlin concerts. Beyond that, I have been part of travel abroad programs.

I know you’ve traveled a lot since your Salzburg days. What are your most memorable trips?

Amy: One of my favorite places we’ve visited is Scotland. We went there for the first time around 2000, and I just fell in love. Some years later my sister did a deep dive into our ancestry and discovered that we have many Scottish ancestors. She traced us back to the late 1400s in Scotland, and I have been lucky enough to visit the clan family seat there. Todd and I have also participated in several bike tours in Europe. And of course, we’ve returned to Germany and Austria over and over.

Todd: There was an early return trip to Salzburg with some friends who had never been that comes to mind. One friend wanted the full Sound of Music experience, while the spouse was totally not interested. We came up with an alternative bike tour that hit all of the Sound of Music stops along with stops at a couple of beer gardens. Win-win!

Did your original experiences abroad give you any lessons you still apply when you travel?

Amy: The biggest lesson I learned regarding travel is to go with the flow. You can’t control everything. Being away from “regular” life for a bit means stepping away from routine and that can be hard, but it’s also one of my favorite things. I also learned that traveling with a group of people can be fun!

Todd: I think Salzburg reinforced my earlier experiences abroad. Plan ahead and be ready to pivot. Like life, travel throws you curveballs, so just go with them. Also, don’t be afraid to get to know the locals. Have a conversation. Those are some of the most rewarding experiences when traveling.

Tell us about the many ways you have been involved in the Bowling Green community.

Amy: I have always felt it important to give back to the community. I believe it’s crucial for our downtown that the business owners participate in planning events and promotions. I have served on various boards and committees over the years, and am currently on the Downtown Forward committee and the Habitat for Humanity committee working to bring a H4H Restore to BG. And I have been the concessions chair for Bowling Green’s Black Swamp Arts Festival for 25 years.

Todd: I’ve also been part of the Black Swamp Arts Festival for nearly 25 years. This year, I will be chair of the festival for the sixth time. I’ve also been involved with the BG Parks and Recreation Foundation and BGSU. Recently, I’ve joined the AYA Salzburg Alumni Group.

What do you see as the top reasons for participating in education abroad?

Amy: The best thing about studying abroad is the way it opens your eyes to the world outside your town, state, country. Not only do you learn new things, meet people different from yourself, experience different cultures, you also become aware of what you love about where you are from. And the more you travel, the more you learn that people are just people wherever they may live.

Todd: I think it’s incredibly important to study and live abroad, to get to know and learn about other cultures, to be vulnerable and open to different ways of thinking and doing. I think education abroad can help alleviate xenophobia.

Salzburg Sweethearts 

Three years ago, we started a series about AYA students who found their future partner while studying in Salzburg. The first issue featured AYA alumni who married another student from that year’s group. Last year we collected stories of alumni who married an Austrian or German they met in Salzburg. This time we’ve returned to the first theme.

Ellen (Manning) Nagy / Paul Nagy (1980-81)        

We first met in 1980 at Margy‘s apartment – the first meeting with the entire group. In October, Oscar (Retterer), Kelly (McInerney), and I decided to go to Werfenweng for a weekend, and Oscar indicated we needed a fourth person. Paul? Which Paul? Tall Paul or Der Paul?… didn’t make a difference to me then. But Tall Paul joined us for the weekend in Werfenweng.

On Halloween weekend I was invited to a dinner at Schwarzes Rössl, Paul’s dorm. We spent that weekend together: walking throughout Salzburg, drinking Glühwein, and realizing there might be something? And yes, we spent as much time as possible together that year between shared classes and travelling to Greece, Italy, France, Switzerland, Spain, as well as meeting my mother and his parents over Easter. I clearly remember sobbing the entire train ride from Munich to Luxemburg to fly home, wondering if we’d ever see each other again. Many, many letters, visits between Ohio, Colorado, Wisconsin, and Salzburg followed. After attending graduate school – Paul in dentistry, I in German studies, first in Salzburg and Bowling Green (MA) and then in the Ph.D. program at OSU – we were married in 1987 and settled in Fremont on the Sandusky River in northern Ohio. Paul worked as a dentist for a community health clinic, and I was writing my dissertation and worked as a translator for BASF.

Our daughter, Hannah, was born in 1990, and we moved to St. Louis the same year. We spent three years in St. Louis – Paul in a master’s program for orthodontics, I working at a law firm and finishing my dissertation. We returned to Ohio in 1993. Paul had congenital heart issues and received a heart transplant in May 1993 – three months after our son, Simon, was born, and I defended my dissertation at OSU.

We remained in Fremont where Paul was the sole orthodontist; I worked in a variety of university positions at BG, University of Toledo, and finally at Heidelberg University, where I was the executive director of the Owen Center for Academic Advising and Support and assistant professor of German.

We had nearly 21 years with our children – coaching basketball, travelling, being a family. Paul died of cardiovascular disease in 2014.

I retired from Heidelberg in 2019 and moved to Milwaukee. I am currently a personal trainer and cycling instructor. Hannah is a nurse practitioner in Little Rock and married to Ryan Smith. They have two daughters, Natalie Grace and Abigail Paul. Simon lives in Los Angeles and works in sales and marketing for postscript.io.

I can’t think of Salzburg without the memories of that year. Study abroad is life changing? Absolutely.

AYA Austria newsletters available online

All the AYA Austria newsletters since 1971 have been added to the AYA Austria website. They can be read or downloaded from the Alumni Newsletter Archive.