Global Chairs

red chairs

Photo by Carl Socolow '77.

Iconic Dickinson chairs unveiled in Bremen

Thirty years ago, Dickinson struck up a partnership with a mid-sized university in Bremen, Germany, sparking a language-based, full-immersion study-abroad program that has served more than 350 German and American students so far. To mark that anniversary, the University of Bremen added a colorful symbol to its campus: red Adirondack chairs.

Unveiled during a June 4 ceremony in Bremen, the chairs are the first three in a series of red Adirondacks that will be prominently displayed on the University of Bremen’s campus as symbols of the two institutions’ ongoing collaboration. The German university recently launched a fundraising campaign to fund the construction of additional chairs, each inscribed with the donor's name.

Made of 100 percent recycled materials, the Adirondack chairs pay homage to the bright-red chairs that dot Dickinson’s campus, providing distinctive outdoor seating for studying, socializing and open-air classes during temperate months. Annette Lang, leader of the University of Bremen’s International Office, conceived of the idea to display them at her university after spotting the Dickinson chairs during an alumni event in Carlisle.  

Eight Dickinson students currently studying in Bremen attended the unveiling ceremony, along with study-abroad alumni and administrators from both colleges. These included Joyce Bylander, vice president and dean of student life, who delivered an address on campus diversity, and Nancy Roseman, president of the college and professor of biology.

“This 30-year partnership has developed into real friendship,” Roseman said.

The event in Bremen also included brief remarks and a ceremonial contract signing, indicating that both institutions intend to continue their partnership for the next three decades. 

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Published July 27, 2015