Excellence Connects – h2 and ODU Sign New Agreement for International Collaboration

Photo: Magdeburg-Stendal University of Applied Sciences

A new level of collaboration with Old Dominion University (ODU), Norfolk (USA)

Since 2012, Hochschule Magdeburg-Stendal (h2) and ODU have shared a strong partnership: from the VAST exchange program to joint research projects and reciprocal visits of researchers and faculty. ODU belongs to the less than 5% of U.S. universities that hold the prestigious Research 1 (R1) Classification ("very high research activity").

Our collaboration started with the Department of Computer Science and has since included seven successful student excursions under the VAST program since 2016 Prof. Michael A. Herzog, Prof. Michael L. Nelson).

New initiatives are currently developing between the Strome College of Business and our Faculty of Business (coordinated by Prof. Elko Klijn and Prof. Beate von Velsen-Zerweck).

With ODU's Graduate School (Prof. Marisol Perez and Patricia Schiaffini-Vedani), we have agreed on joint research and development perspectives that will benefit both Master's and PhD students. In a meeting of the deans, we also paved the way for future ERASMUS+ project cooperation.

Dean Prof. Fabian Behrendt emphasizes: "This excellent U.S. cooperation shows that even in turbulent political times, international exchange with the world's leading academic institutions offers tremendous opportunities for young researchers and for addressing the challenges our planet is facing."

We are very excited about this milestone and look forward to the next joint projects!

(published October 9, 2025)