More than 45 years ago, in 1976, the University of New Orleans initiated its flagship study abroad program in Innsbruck. Its founder, Dr. Gordon H. “Nick” Mueller, is known as a man who “thinks big,” so even for the first UNO-Innsbruck program he chartered a Pan Am flight to take 166 students to Innsbruck, and launched what was to become one of the largest study abroad programs of its kind in the United States. To hear from some former "UNO-Innsbruckers" watch this video and the one posted on our Program Alumni page.
Successes and challenges have shaped the International Summer School over the past four and a half decades. The program has adjusted to changing times and student needs, but it has managed to maintain its identity and academic integrity.
With over 10,000 alumni, “UNO-Innsbruck” is widely recognized both in New Orleans and Innsbruck. Since its initiation, the program has spawned and cultivated a series of partnerships on various levels. First and foremost, the partnership agreement between the Universities of Innsbruck and New Orleans was signed in 1983.
This partnership quickly became one of the most active transatlantic university relationships, including student programs, publications, conferences, and centers. In 1995, the mayors of the two cities signed a Sister City Agreement, and in the same year a vibrant art exchange was started.
So many lives and careers have been touched by the UNO-Innsbruck International Summer School. Is it your turn this summer?
The UNO-Innsbruck Team
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Alea Morelock Cot, Assistant Provost for International Education
I was born in Alabama and grew up with the advantage of living in the suburbs of many wonderful U.S. cities such as New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago and Seattle. My worldview really changed when I took my first trip to Europe as a sophomore in high school. I was an AFS exchange student to Thailand the following year, and spent my university junior year abroad in Madrid, Spain. After graduating from Tulane with an M.A. in International Relations, I spent a year working in Washington, D.C. I have been privileged to be a member of the UNO Division of International Education since 1988. During this time I have led numerous educational trips to Europe, nurtured the Intensive English Language Program, recruited international students in Asia, Europe and Latin America, and have served in professional leadership roles at the state, regional and national levels. I love working with students and helping them explore new countries and cultures, whether they are U.S. Americans abroad or internationals in New Orleans. The students’ excitement and energy motivate and inspire me daily. I speak Spanish, some German and I keep hoping to learn more Czech. (My Thai is pretty rusty!) My husband and I have one daughter and a cat named Momo.
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Irene Ziegler, Program Director
As a native of Austria, it is a great honor and pleasure for me to direct the Innsbruck International Summer School and accompany students and faculty to my home country each summer. I came to the University of New Orleans in 1992 as an exchange student from the University of Innsbruck, and this study abroad experience has truly changed my life! Since then, I have worked in the UNO Division of International Education with various programs, have accompanied students to Austria, Italy, Germany, and the Czech Republic, and have taught English, ESL, and German at UNO. I majored in Foreign Languages, English, and Education and earned a Ph.D. in American Literature from the University of Graz (Austria). I live in New Orleans with my husband, a native New Orleanian, and our two children. I try to teach my children to keep an open mind about other cultures, to embrace differences, and to always try new foods!
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Mariana Zanotti Martinez, Program Coordinator
This will be my tenth summer with the Innsbruck International Summer School and all I can say is that I hope you enjoy it as much as I do every year! This position is a wonderful opportunity for me given my background, my love for traveling and how much I enjoy working with students and parents. I was born in New York, lived in Monte-Carlo for 13 years and Miami for 2 years before I moved to New Orleans in 2003. After completing my B.A. in French at Tulane University, I worked there in Housing and New Student Orientation for several years before taking this position at UNO. I speak French, Italian and some Spanish. You will probably recognize my love for photography when you see me taking hundreds of pictures at our events in Innsbruck. As the summer approaches, I am excited about returning to Innsbruck and meeting all the Summer School participants.
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László Fülöp, Academic Director
László Zsolt Fülöp was born and raised in the ethnic Hungarian community of the Transylvanian region of Romania. He is a proud immigrant, having moved to the U.S. in the 90s with a small suitcase after a stint as a waiter on a cruise ship. He is Associate Professor in the School of the Arts - Department of Film at the University of New Orleans. He teaches Script Analysis, Screenwriting, Documentary Film Production, History of Documentary Film, and other film-related subjects. He is also a documentary filmmaker, a screenwriter, and a playwright. He has also taught and was Academic Director in UNO’s international summer programs in Prague, Czech Republic and Kyoto, Japan.
Contact Us
schedule individual advising session
Main Office
UNO-Innsbruck International Summer School
Division of International Education
International Center, Rm. 128
2000 Lakeshore Dr.
New Orleans, LA 70148
8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Monday through Friday
504.280.7116
innsbruck@uno.edu
Fax: 504.280.6447
Program Director
Dr. Irene Ziegler
504.280.7318
iziegler@uno.edu
Program Coordinator
Mariana Martinez
504.280.7264
mzanotti@uno.edu
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Summer Contact Information in Innsbruck during Terms of Program
Mailing Address:
UNO-Innsbruck International Summer School
c/o Rössl in der Au
Höttinger Au 34
A-6020 Innsbruck
Austria, EuropeRössl Phone: 011.43.50.447.611