UA Professor Elected to Board of Group Boosting Alabama-Germany Ties

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – A University of Alabama professor is pushing for deeper cultural and economic ties between the state and the Federal Republic of Germany – and he now holds a key position from which he can push for stronger links and deeper understanding.

Dr. Thomas Fox, chair of the modern languages and classics department and a professor of German in UA’s College of Arts and Sciences, has been elected to the board of directors of the Alabama-Germany Partnership (www.alabamagermany.org). The partnership, which is approaching its 10th anniversary, promotes cultural, educational and economic ties between Alabama and Germany.

“I hope I will be working in the cultural and educational realm,” Fox says.

The Alabama-Germany Partnership began shortly after Mercedes-Benz. U.S. International was established in Tuscaloosa County, Fox says. Interested parties in Birmingham and Tuscaloosa met to organize events and later formed the formal organization.

“These groups are enlightened enough to realize that quality of life, culture and education are also important,” says Fox. “The organization tries to support the instruction of German in schools and colleges.”

Members of the Alabama-Germany Partnership include UA, Alabama Power, AT&T and Alagasco. German companies working in Alabama include ISE Innomotive Systems in Tuscaloosa and ThyssenKrupp Steel USA in Mobile.

UA offers bachelor’s and master’s degrees in German as well as the German House, the German Club and High School German Day, which will be Wednesday, Feb. 20.

The University of Alabama’s department of modern languages is part of the College of Arts and Sciences, the University’s largest division and the largest liberal arts college in the state. Students from the College have won numerous national awards including Rhodes Scholarships, Goldwater Scholarships and memberships on the USA Today Academic All American Teams.