The year 2015 marks the 20th anniversary of the sister city agreement between New Orleans and Innsbruck as well as the 40th anniversary of the University of New Orleans' International Summer School in Innsbruck. One of the largest outbound programs of its kind in the United States, the summer school over the years has brought over 10,000 American students to the heart of the Alps.
On the occasion of both anniversaries, a delegation of high-ranking officials from the City and the University of Innsbruck met with counterparts from the City, the Port Authority and the University of New Orleans for a number of briefings in order to shape the continuous cooperation.
Festivities were crowned by a celebratory evening on the University of New Orleans campus, during which the representatives of both cities and universities were joined by summer school alumni, teaching staff and the Austrian Honorary Consul General Phil Lorio, braving the unusually cold weather –thus a real "alpine" evening.
Happy Birthdays!
The Austrian delegation with University of New Orleans President Peter J. Fos (right). Photo: Mariana Zanotti Martinez.