Hervé Perreau

Staff member of the International Office at the University of Orléans (France)
Period of stay: 27 June - 15 July 2022

About me

I work at the International Central Office at the University of Orléans (France) where I am the Development & Partnerships Manager. I am in charge of international bilateral agreements, some international projects, communication of the department, I am also involved in our European ATHENA Alliance, in the application for the EMJMD Eminent, students in exile…

Preparations

I found out about the possibility of coming to Siegen thanks to the ATHENA Siegen team. I met them in Vilnius for the first ATHENA get-together in October 2021 and saw them again when they came to Orléans in February 2022. It is at the time that we started to discuss about the project. 

I have nothing but compliments on the whole organisation. I was in contact with Merle Bollman and Ruger Winnegge in order to plan the stay both logistically and academically. The communication was frequent and easy before my stay.

Contents of the stay and benefits for work

The main goals of the stay were the exchange of good practices (E+ projects, students in exile), meeting colleagues in the same field as me to exchange on their work methodology, take the opportunity to discuss our EMJMD application, meet colleagues involved in our Double Degree in Applied Languages, meet colleagues from the Language center of the IRO to name a few. 

I enjoyed my 3 weeks immensely. Of course, the warm welcome of the ATHENA Team as well as of all the Siegen colleagues was much appreciated. Actually, what I really enjoyed is that the length of my stay enabled me to see many different departments and colleagues from the University.

Life in Siegen

I travelled by train and stayed at the Artur Woll Haus. It was my first time to Siegen. Even though the city is not one of the most touristic cities in Germany, it is nonetheless pleasant and has a very pretty city centre. And the region is very nice, I particularly enjoyed the Biggesee area, Marburg and Bonn (especially the "Haus der Geschichte"). I also was very impressed with the "Museum für Gegenwartskunst". 

Conclusion

I was eager to discover a new place in Germany and to see the organisation of the ATHENA team. As I already knew colleagues from Siegen, I was very confident that my stay would be very pleasant and I was not disappointed. I actually must say that I am longing for any excuse to go back! 

My experience in a nutshell

I am more than happy to have carried out this mobility. I want to thank the DAAD for making this stay possible. My thanks also extend to all the staff of the University of Siegen who made me feel extremely welcome. I was able to meet many colleagues and exchange with many people whether in the field of the International Relations or ATHENA.  

Last but not least, I especially want to thank the whole ATHENA team: Constantin, Ilka, Merle, Omar and, of course, Ruger. We are part of a European Alliance, we also are focused partners (Orléans-Siegen), but I can also say that this mobility has contributed to cement the ties that bind us all and I can say that my German colleagues have become long-lasted friends.