Berlin Fulbright Conference

Back to Berlin after 30 Years

It had been nearly 30 years since my last visit to Berlin before arriving there last week Sunday.  The occasion this time was a 5-day conference for Fulbright scholars in Europe.  The event is hosted by the German-U.S. Fulbright Commission, but they graciously extend the invitation to Fulbrighters serving in other European countries as well.  Needless to say, I found Berlin a very different city from the one I regularly visited on business in the early 1980s. 

As a U.S. Air Force officer assigned to the Headquarters, American Forces Network - Europe in Frankfurt a.M. from 1980-1984, I often visited our affiliate station (radio/TV) in Berlin.  I always took a day or two of leave in conjunction with the visits to explore this remarkable city.  Each visit also included a passage through Checkpoint Charlie into (then) East Berlin.  I vividly recall the bleak grayness that characterized that sector of the city, behind "The Wall."  I recall, too, walking around the barren, grim region of Alexander Platz.  As it happened, on this trip, Robin and I joined several hundred other Fulbrighters staying at the sparkling high-rise Park Inn Hotel -- in Alexander Platz!  My, how the area has changed!  Like the rest of Berlin, this area is now vibrant and colorful.  I could not stop marveling at the metamorphasis.  The vast majority of Fulbrighters participating in the conference were graduate students pursuing their studies or recent college graduates serving as English Teaching Assistants; it was sobering to realize that most were infants when the Cold War ended.  Still, they seemed to appreciate the astonishing and troubling history associated with the city of Berlin and in particular with the very area surrounding our hotel. 

The seminar featured a demanding and enriching agenda, with valuable activities from morning through late evening.  Keynote speeches, panel discussions, anecdotal reflections, discussion sessions and musical performances kept us happily busy the entire time.  Each event and logistical detail was planned and conducted perfectly by the fine staff of the German-U.S. Fulbright Commission.  Special guests included Dr. Mary Ellen Schmider, Executive Director of the Fulbright Association in Washington, D.C.; Johannes Hensel, a member of the first small cadre of German Fulbrighters who traveled to the U.S. in 1953/54 (his is a remarkable story of escaping from East Germany to West Berlin, entering university, earning a Fulbright fellowship, then serving a highly successful career with 3M in worldwide postings); and Dr. Ulrich Lippman, first Executive Director of the German-U.S. Fulbright Commission (who earned his Ph.D. at Ohio University, as did I).  We also enjoyed panel discussions featuring top German government officials on topics such as the status of European integration.

Robin and I traveled from Poznań to Berlin via PolskiBus, a fairly new service providing inexpensive and comfortable travel within Poland and to destinations near Poland.  The 4-hour bus ride was quite pleasant, despite its 4:50 a.m. departure Sunday morning.  We returned via the Berlin-Warsaw Express train, which took just 2 1/2 hours, but cost more than double the bus fare.  Getting around Berlin, of course, was easy on the U-Bahns and S-Bahns. 

I'll post more photos to my Facebook page, but following are a number of representive shots:




The comfortable coach we took from Poznań to Berlin.
Heavy fog that morning prevented us from fully
enjoying the beautiful rural scenery.




















Several hundred Fulbrighters convened for the conference.
Seated in the second row, far left in the coat and tie, is
Johannes Hensel, one of the first German Fulbrighters.
In his remarks later in the conference, he cited AFN (my
former military unit in Germany) as helping him learn
English in the early 1950s.



For Sunday afternoon, conference planners arranged a menu
of cultural tours, including the one we chose to Checkpoint
Charlie and the associated museum.  Thirty years earlier, I used
to make the transit through this point into the Soviet Sector.





















Only a few sections of "The Wall" remain, preserved as a
reminder of difficult times.



German-U.S. Fulbright Commission Executive Director Dr. Rolf
Hoffmann welcomes Fulbrighters to the conference.



Conference events were enthusiastically received by all
participants.



Former Fulbrighters share their experiences with
conference participants.



















U.S. Fulbright Commission Executive Director Dr. Mary Ellen
Schmider addresses participants.



Among the outstanding features of the conference was a
"Music Gala" featuring Fulbrighters pursuing research or
training in vocal or instrumental performance.




















An appreciative audience awards a standing ovation to
Fulbrighter performers.  They included several vocalists,
flautists, pianists and even an exceptionally gifted and
creative tuba player.



Of course, there was a little time available for sightseeing.
This is the Bode Museum, one of a seemingly endless array
of magnificent architecture from many periods.




















The building that houses Germany's equivalent of the U.S.
Congress.



Naturally, we had to sample the wurst.


















Breakfast in the hotel was always a great opportunity to get
to know the extraordinary young people in Berlin for the
conference and to hear about their Fulbright experiences. 



Back on the train for the return to Poznań.  A great experience
in Berlin, that's for sure, but it's good to be "home."



Planned and Recent Fulbright Activities

This will be a wordy post, bringing readers up to date on activities (not previously reported) directly related to my Fulbright fellowship appointment here in Poznań.

Recent Activities

• Shortly after my arrival here early last month, I was asked to prepare an article for the official magazine of the Poznań University of Economics.  The topic was not related to my work here, but rather concerned the performing arts at my home university, the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.  The magazine editors were interested in comparing the performing arts at our two universities.  It's not my academic area, but as a musician and a frequent performer in amateur productions (in four countries!) over the decades, I was happy to comply.  Using material from the UNC Charlotte website and eager assistance from officials with UNC Charlotte's College of Arts and Architecture, I was able to assemble a reasonably comprehesive article along with several great photos.  The editors are reportedly very pleased with the result, and the article should appear in this month's issue coming out in about two weeks.
• Because of the overwhelming response to last week's initial guest lecture on preparing U.S.-style resumes, I repeated the lecture yesterday to a smaller but appreciative group of about 20 great students. 
• I recently completed an e-mail interview for an article in my home department's e-zine.  The article will cover my impressions formed so far regarding my time in Poland.
• Dr. Jacek Trębecki, graduate student Martyna Dziubek and I meet at least twice weekly to move our research project forward.  During recent meetings, we reviewed and polished both the focus group protocol and the survey instrument.  Team members in the U.S., Dr. Jaehee Cho and graduate student Nick Woods, have prepared both the Excel spreadsheet and the SPSS (statistical analysis software) program they will use to "crunch" the quantitative data we provide to them as a result of employee surveys we conduct here in Poland.  Dr. Trębecki, Martyna and I continue to work and negotiate with potential company partners we hope will be the subjects of our research project.
• I'm continuing my diligent effort to acquire at least conversational skill in the Polish language.  I have two formal, hour-and-a-half classes each week, and I'm using the Rosetta Stone complete package (three parts) in Polish as well as separate books.  Having previously learned acceptable German and French plus some Spanish, I understand the process of learning a language, but Polish is still challenging.  Slavic languages introduce new layers of complexity.  It's not just because I'm old, either.  My formal class has about 10 students, none over about 25.  They're all undergraduate or graduate exchange students, and they come from Spain, Portugal, Latvia, France, Canada, Germany and Hungary.  They're having just as much of a struggle as I am.  Still, I'm making progress and use my Polish skills with increasing confidence in everyday situations.

Planned Activities

• This Sunday (March 18), Robin and I will head to Berlin, Germany, for a 5-day seminar conducted by the German-U.S. Fulbright Commission there.  This event brings together around 200 Fulbright students and faculty members for research presentations, discussions and cultural activities.  Robin and I have not visited Berlin since my U.S. Air Force assignment to Frankfurt a.M., Germany, from 1980-'84 (30 years ago!).  My memories of Berlin include regularly passing through Checkpoint Charlie to visit (then) East Berlin.  We'll visit Checkpoint Charlie again on this trip, but it will be part of a museum!  I'm not sure I'm fully prepared for the vast changes that have occurred since my earlier visits.
• It appears the success of my initial guest lectures is leading to a fairly regular schedule of such events here at PUE.  I expect to be meeting with PR classes once a week from now on, offering lectures and discussions on topics such as corporate social responsibility, crisis communication planning and management, PR planning, media relations, internal communications, public diplomacy, etc.  I must say this will be a most enjoyable aspect of my time here.  The students here are fully engaged in their academic journey and eagerly welcome these opportunities to explore additional vectors of our discipline.
• On March 31, I will provide a half-day seminar to a group of about 30 PR professionals here in Poznań.  I will cover the social, political and economic contexts that have shaped (and been shaped by) the public relations profession in the last 100 years or so.  I'll also talk about emerging directions for public relations, and I'll lead the group in a real-world case analysis and planning exercise.
• Dr. Trębecki is also arranging for me to meet with student groups at other Poznań universities -- and there are quite a few in this academically-focused city.
• This week, I expect to be interviewed by a journalist with the Polish publication "The Business Voice" about our research project.
• I'm coordinating with Dr. Gyorgy Szondi a visit to Budapest, Hungary, in mid-April where I hope to conduct several guest lectures and perhaps a discussion with Hungarian PR professionals.  Dr. Szondi is himself Hungarian, but he now teaches at Leeds University in Great Britain.  I met him here in Poznań at a conference in 2005 and we have remained "virtual" colleagues since then.  He contributed to a chapter in my book on global public relations.
• On April 19, Fulbrighters in Poland will gather here in Poznań for a day-long conference.  Each of us will provide a report on our activities here in Poland; my presentation will include my research partners here and will summarize progress on our project.
• Research team members at UNC Charlotte will present a summary of early project results during the Center for Global Public Relations conference on April 21 in Charlotte.
• We recently received word that the panel proposal submitted by Dr. Ryszard Ławniczak here for the International PR Conference in Bled, Slovenia, in July has been accepted.  I will serve on that panel, presenting an early summary of the results of our research project here. 

I'm sure there are other events and activities I'm forgetting, but this is an adequate summary for now.  Planning and preparing for these items keeps me quite busy, and other opportunities are regularly arising.  I'll keep you posted.

Do widzenia!

Events, Week of March 5

This post provides a few details and photos on three activities from the week of March 5, 2012.

Guest Lecture

It was an honor to be asked to present a lecture for one of Dr. Jacek Trębecki's public relations classes on Wednesday afternoon.  After discussion with Dr. Trębecki and one of his top students, Katarzyna Konieckiewicz (Kasia), we settled on the unusual topic of how to prepare a U.S.-style resume as a PR student applying for internships or entry-level positions.  I was doubtful that this would be a topic of interest, but my concerns were completely misplaced.  Dr. Trębecki promoted the lecture for any students to attend, and the response was overwhelming.  Despite a large lecture hall with seating capacity for nearly 100 students, they filled the seats, and more sat on the floor or stood in any open space.  More than 150 students attended.  There would have been many more, but Dr. Trębecki, immediately recognizing the dilemma, announced that I would deliver the same lecture the following week at the same time.  That allowed students in the hall outside the room and some in the room without seats to wait for the next opportunity.


Standing room only for my lecture on preparing resumes.

















It might be tempting to conclude that students here are starved for information, and that led to the large turnout, but that would be a mistake.  What this response reflects is how successful the instructors are here at motivating students to absorb all the information they possibly can.  Keep in mind, too, that I lectured in English, and yet these Polish students were able to take in and even discuss this topic thoughtfully.  I was and remain deeply impressed!


Students paid rapt attention throughout the hour and a half lecture.

Dr. Trębecki and Kasia assured me that this was a valuable session for the students.  Some may wish to apply for PR positions in the U.S. (and I can attest to the fact that they will provide stiff competition for U.S. PR students!), and some may apply with U.S. companies operating in Poland, and there are many.  Knowing how to present oneself effectively in a resume is an important skill in that regard.  Moreover, material we provided on line also addressed cover letters and job interview strategies.

Birthday Dinner

Last Friday I celebrated yet another birthday (I have no complaints, mind you!), and it was a special treat to share the occasion with some of our great Polish friends here in Poznań.  A 10-minute walk from our apartment is the beautiful Stary Rynek (old market square), with a great many inviting restaurants contributing to the festive atmosphere of the area.  We chose the Brovaria Restaurant, which features its own microbrewery.  The evening could not have been better.

The scene upon our arrival at the Stary Rynek.



The restaurant makes its own beer.  I enjoyed its "honey" brew.



Joanna Trębecki (left, front) sits across from her husband,
Jacek.  Robin and Alan Freitag are next.  To Robin's left
is Martyna Dziubek.  To Alan's right are Dr. Ryszard
Ławniczak and his wife Irene.



The birthday boy about to enjoy his roast duck,
red cabbage and dumplings.

Basketball Game

On Saturday evening, Robin and I took in a basketball game between Poznań and Warsaw in the Tauron League.  My impression is this is a semi-professional league.  A bus ride followed by a tram ride and a short walk (30 minutes total travel time) took us from our apartment to the university arena where the game was played.  We bought general admission tickets at the door for roughly $3 each.  Several hundred enthusiastic fans attended, including one with a bass drum he used regularly to generate lively cheers.  The players were impressive athletes who played with concentration and intensity. 



Just as in the U.S., the players are introduced right before
game time.  These were the hometown Poznań team members.



















The tipoff marked the start of four 10-minute quarters of
constant action.



A sizable crowd rooted for the hometeam and politely
acknowledged good plays by the opponents as well.  All
players were respected for their efforts.




















Action was spirited, but never was there the hint of disrespect
by any player for an opponent.  These were fine athletes
doing their best and focusing on their game.



Poznań chased Warsaw throughout the game, sometimes
trailing by as many as 10 points, but often pulling very close
and even tying the score a couple times.  In the end, though,
Warsaw prevailed, 83-81.  [Goście = Guests; Gospodarze = Hosts]






















A poor photo, but I wanted to show that the game even
featured cheerleaders. 

That was another eventful week in Poznań!  There is certainly no shortage of work to be done and new activities to enjoy.  Thanks for following my blog.  Do widzenia!

Early March Scenes

First Meeting with Dr. Ławniczak

This post covers a number of topics and includes plenty of photos.  The first event I'm pleased to report is my initial meeting with Dr. Ryszard Ławniczak (for non-Polish speakers, pronounced "Wahv NEE chahk").  He is the principal and most influential factor in my Fulbright fellowship here in Poznań.  Seven years ago, in 2005, I received an invitation from Dr. Ławniczak to participate in an International Public Relations conference he was organizing in his university, the Poznań University of Economics.  I was aware then of the significant work he was doing in establishing public relations as a respected and valued discipline in the emerging market economies of Central and Eastern Europe.  Since then, I and most others in our field have come to recognize Dr. Ławniczak as perhaps the preeminent thought leader in these once transitional but now rapidly developing economies.  An economist by training, he continues to make the strong case for the strategic importance of contemporary public relations leadership in organizational success.  He has provided advice and counsel to the top national political leaders of Poland as well as to its top industries.  It is a privilege to be considered among his colleagues, and it was the tremendously positive impression his university's public relations program left with me in 2005 that inspired me to seek this Fulbright opportunity.

Dr. Ławniczak invited me to lunch, which turned into a nearly 3-hour discussion of a wide variety of academic and professional issues related to our discipline of public relations.  Of course, we also enjoyed a superb meal in a delightful setting here in Poznań.  We met in a hotel restaurant on the shore of one of Poznań's signature sights -- Malta Lake.  In summer, this is the scene for world-class competitive events in various boating activities, primarily kayaking, skulling and canoeing (check out the clip on Youtube).  After lunch, we enjoyed a short stroll along the lakeshore path.  Despite the blue skies, the temperatures remain quite chilly, and ice is clearly visible on the water.
 

The meal is served.  Dr. Ławniczak is having fish. 
My dish is roast pork.  Fantastic!












A placid scene -- not much activity on the lake in late winter.

 

Across from our hotel/restaurant is a spa and water park.



Next to the hotel/restaruant is a "dry" downhill ski center, open year round.


Robin Arrives in Poznan

Of course, the most important development is that my wife, Robin, has arrived in Poznań, beginning a new chapter of this extraordinary adventure.  At this writing, she has been here a week, so the jet lag has largely dissipated.  She is quickly becoming acquainted with the public transportation system and is finding activities to fill her agenda.  Last Saturday, we took advantage of a sunny day (a trend that continues) to explore a bit of our environs.  The Stary Rynek, or Old Market Square, is a 15-minute walk from our apartment, so we strolled in that direction, encountering a farmers' market on the way.


A market area just a few minutes' walk from our apartment.



An excellent selection of fruits, vegetables and other products.

An excellent selection of meats and sausages as well.



Robin next to the market's flower stalls.



In the Stary Rynek (Old Market Square), viewers await the
striking of noon by the tower clock.  It's a daily event,
but unique and worth seeing.  More on this feature in
a coming post.




















Apartment Living

By U.S. standards, our apartment would seem fairly small -- roughly a little over 600 square feet.  However, we're finding it perfectly adequate and comfortable.  The location is outstanding -- walking distance to the Stary Rynek and many other great features of Poznań, and convenient to bus and tram lines.  It even includes access to a fine fitness center.


Our apartment building.  Just beyond the buildings is
Park Cytadela, one of the largest parks in Poznań.



Robin preparing a delicious soup with the tasty vegetables.


















That's it for now.  Thanks for following this blog.  Do widzenia!

Project Update

Slow, Steady Progress

I'm now one month into my 6-month fellowship here in Poznań, and it's appropriate to provide an update on our research project progress.  We continue to move forward slowly but deliberately.  Dr. Trębecki, graduate student Martyna Dziubek and I are in contact with a total of seven or eight potential companies where we might conduct our research.  Negotiations continue, and several look particularly promising.  We should have some firm responses later this week or early next week.  Most are companies we had identified and discussed before my arrival here, but two are new contacts that emerged through contacts we've made since my arrival.  Our aim is to conduct research at one company in each of the upcoming months: March, April and May.  I feel confident we will soon have our March research partner.

We have prepared a 1-page summary of our research proposal, in both English and Polish.  We are using this document to acquaint potential company managers with our aims and procedures, outline the benefits of the research for the target company, and allay fears managers may have about intrusion or data exposure.  We have found on initial contact with potential company partners that a key concern is that data from research in their firms might be shared externally.  We are assuring managers that any external reports such as conference papers or journal articles will refer simply to "a manufacturer in Poland" or "a financial services provider in Poland." 

We've also prepared a news release aimed at inviting companies to contact us to be included in the research project.  Dr. Trębecki and Martyna are translating the release into Polish and making adjustments to it that will render it more compliant with Polish news release style.  We hope the release will be issued by the university here to Poznań-area media within a week.  We will also provide the release to business organizations here similar to the Chamber of Commerce in U.S. cities.

I have begun training Martyna in the art of moderating focus groups.  I'm confident she will do an excellent job.  This week or next we will review the focus group protocol to shape it to be compliant with expectations of employees here in Poland.  We will also go through the survey instrument to make certain it is appropriate for the circumstances and environment in which we will be administering it. 

Earlier this week, we received full project approval from UNC Charlotte's (my home university) Institutional Review Board.  This is a board, found at all research universities, that rigorously reviews all research project proposals for compliance with procedural and ethical standards.  Before I left Charlotte in January, I submitted a 36-page proposal and project description to the board.  Receiving approval is no small matter.

Other Notes

An extremely important added note: On Tuesday evening, my wife, Robin, arrived here in Poznań after the long flight from Charlotte.  After four weeks on my own, this marks a wonderful new stage in this extraordinary experience. 

Next week Wednesday, I will have my first opportunity to lead a public relations class here when I serve as guest lecturer in one of Dr. Trębecki's undergraduate courses.  Despite 15 years of teaching public relations, I'm apprehensive about this opportunity because this is a new setting for me.  I was aware before I came of the high quality of the public relations program here at the Poznań University of Economics, and my experience in recent weeks has only reinforced and affirmed for me the sterling reputation this program enjoys.  I hope I can approach the students' expectations!  Dr. Trębecki and I will meet Friday with one of his top students to refine the topic I'll address.  I want to make sure I'm contributing in a meaningful way both to the students' academic experience and the aims of the department here. 

Do widzenia!