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Panoramic view on the North Campus © Jürgen Huhn​/​TU Dortmund
UA Ruhr Liaison Office New York

For a strong connection with North America

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Priya S. Nayar has been the new director of the University Alliance Ruhr (UA Ruhr) liaison office in New York City since summer 2021. The liaison offices – the UA Ruhr operates another one for the regions of Eastern Europe and Central Asia – have the task of promoting international exchange, expanding research contacts, and providing organizational support for joint study and learning projects. In this interview, Priya S. Nayar talks about her first months in office, the challenges of working with three universities and various partners, and scholarship programs for students.

Ms. Nayar, what were your first few months like as head of the New Yorker liaison office?
My first months at the alliance felt very welcoming! Although I joined amidst the COVID19 pandemic – I could meet my new colleagues in-person at TU Dortmund University, Ruhr University Bochum, and the University of Duisburg-Essen in the fall. There's no virtual walk that could replace an actual visit to campus, so I'm glad I've already had that opportunity. I was able to seamlessly continue the work of my predecessor Peter Rosenbaum and continue the activities of UA Ruhr in 2021. Now I am looking forward to all that we can achieve in 2022 and to visiting our partner institutions here in the US in person in the near future and introducing myself to them.

What are your daily tasks and what are your long-term goals?
With over 120,000 students and nearly 14,000 researchers, UA Ruhr represents one of the largest and high-performing research locations in Germany. In addition to daily management tasks, I answer various partner inquiries and build a list of research contacts in both the US and Canada as well as the Ruhr region. My long-term goals include supporting academic collaborations between our three universities and a growing network of North American institutions.

What opportunities does the New York office offer UA Ruhr students for international exchange?
The University Alliance Ruhr believes in the benefits of collaboration on all levels of research, which is one of the reasons we came together in this unique university alliance. The UA Ruhr New York office offers two flagship fellowship programs. The Ruhr Fellowship Program brings our university partner’s students to the Ruhr region and the Transatlantic Ruhr Fellowship Program brings students from our three universities to the New York region. Besides this we support summer schools and study abroad opportunities, as well as access to research and other academic opportunities.

Which North American universities does UA Ruhr partner with?
We are working with some remarkable universities, for example Lehigh University in Pennsylvania, which supports our Transatlantic Ruhr Fellowship Program with an intensive boot camp for our fellows. We are also looking forward to working closely with the University of Cincinnati – where we plan to have students of entrepreneurship from Ruhr and Cincinnati work together on joint projects. Stay tuned to our website for details.

What do you enjoy most about your work at UA Ruhr New York and what are the challenges of working with three different unis and other partners?
I am excited by the diversity of subject matter and expertise I get to interact with every single day at UA Ruhr! From planning an event about funding for startups to examining sustainable innovation in our region, I get to experience the depth and breadth of the work from our university’s faculty, students, and researchers. I also tremendously enjoy the collegial and collaborative environment with German institutions in New York as well as the colleagues in the Ruhr region. One of the main challenges of working with three different universities and partners is keeping the communication channels open and active. Luckily, we are all working with the same mission to educate students for a global world and advocate for a stronger and better world through international education.

To the website of the New York Liaison Office

About Priya S. Nayar: Priya S. Nayar was born in Mumbai but has lived in many cities such as Munich, London, Trondheim, Tokyo, Paris, Honolulu, and more. She has now lived in New York City for almost 22 years. She has worked at the intersection of German American higher education for over a decade and has specifically worked with universities like Free University of Berlin, Ludwig-Maximilians University of Munich and University of Cologne. Prior to joining UA Ruhr, she opened Hochschule Fresenius’s New York study center in Manhattan. There, Priya S. Nayar developed and ran programs for undergraduate and graduate students and worked closely with industry partners.

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