SIGNED & SEALED: A NEW ERA OF ACADEMIC EXCHANGE
In 2024, LFU Innsbruck Rector Dr. Veronika Sexl and UT Arlington Provost Dr. Tamara Brown signed and sealed contractual agreements, paving the way for a new era of academic partnership between the two institutions. Program Director Dr. Oswald Jenewein commented, "This enhanced partnership opens up exciting new possibilities for students, faculty, and scholars to collaborate across borders, combining expertise to drive innovation and create lasting, positive impacts on communities through design and forward-thinking solutions."
HISTORY: OVER THREE DECADES OF PARTNERSHIP
The academic partnership between UT Arlington (UTA) and LFU Innsbruck (LFU) goes back to 1989, when UTA Professor Craig Kuhner first started to teach a yearly architectural photography course at LFU Innsbruck. Under Kuhner’s leadership, the formal Exchange Program was initiated in 1996. Ever since, Professors Gabriela Seifert-Kavan in 1997, John Maruszczack from 2002-2010, and Marjan Colletti in 2010, started to become visiting faculty members abroad, connecting both institutions.
In 2016, Dr. Oswald Jenewein started to direct this academic partnership. As an Austrian-born alumnus of LFU Innsbruck who became a professor at UT Arlington, Dr. Jenewein was set to expand the ties between the two institutions. Since 2016, the number of participants has grown significantly, from under 40 to over 150 students, faculty, and scholars.
By introducing a Summer Program and Scholar Program in the following years, the academic partnership started operating in four crucial academic exchange sectors. In 2024, a fifth program has been added, providing a comprehensive global framework for academic exchange from the undergraduate to the post-graduate level: (1) Faculty Program (1989-current), (2) Exchange Program (1996-current), (3) Summer Program (2018-current), (4) Scholar Program (2018-current), (5) International Program (2024-current).
ALPINESTUDIO INTERNATIONAL PROGRAM
Established in 2024, the Alpinestudio International Program is the Global Campus Program between the University of Texas at Arlington (UTA) and the University of Innsbruck (LFU). This cross-university program engages the fields of contemporary architecture and urban studies, focusing on climate-resilient cities in the Central Alpine Region. The global campus framework offers cross-listed courses open for enrollment to students from both sides of the Atlantic to study together and collaborate on innovative projects.
PARTICIPATING FACULTY
· Dr. Oswald Jenewein, Program Director – University of Texas at Arlington (UTA)
· Dr. Michelle Hummel – University of Texas at Arlington (UTA)
· Dr. Mohsen Hajibabaei – University of Innsbruck (LFU)
· Dr. Yannick Back – University of Innsbruck (LFU)
· Dr. Mehdi Farahbakhsh – University of Texas at Arlington (UTA)
· Dr. Dan Baciu – Technical University of Delft (TU Delft)
· Pia Sapraneva – University of Texas at Arlington (UTA)
· Ian Gillis – University of Innsbruck (LFU)
· Daniel Klausner – University of Innsbruck (LFU)
· Vasileios Chanis – École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL)