In mid-November, ten students of the School of Business and Economics took part in the German American Conference (GAC) at the Harvard Kennedy School. The GAC is the largest student-organized conference focusing on transatlantic relations and annually brings together students, academics, and representatives from politics, business, and society. The aim of the conference is to strengthen transatlantic dialogue and to examine current global challenges from multiple perspectives.

Participation took place as part of the interdisciplinary seminar “Leadership for Digital Entrepreneurs in a Global Society”, led by Dr. Thomas Haskamp with the involvement of Raphaela Kuhlmann, which was designed for bachelor’s and master’s students in Information Systems as well as related economics and business programs. The seminar was complemented by a cooperation with the Hasso Plattner Institute (HPI), where David Hahn supervised the HPI students, who also participated in the seminar and the conference. As part of the academic preparation and reflection, participants visited the campuses in Münster and Potsdam. The seminar focused on a reflective engagement with the topic Leadership, which was stimulated through conducting interviews and ultimately deepened in academic seminar papers.

The highlight and central element of the reflection process was the active participation in the German American Conference itself, including involvement in the Essay Competition, participation in discussion rounds, and interactive workshops. As part of their preparation, students also visited the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) prior to the conference, where a lecture with a discussion component was held as part of the seminar. Under the theme “Transatlantic Relationship at a Crossroads,” the GAC began with an opening event and initial keynotes in the Harvard Yard (Memorial Church), featuring contributions by Hazel Brugger (comedian), Wendy R. Sherman (former U.S. Deputy Secretary of State), and Dmytro Kuleba (former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine). Over the following two days, the main program took place at the Harvard Kennedy School, where keynotes, panels, workshops, and informal exchange formats such as Coffee Chats and Conversation Tables provided numerous opportunities for academic discussion and networking. The conference concluded with a reception at the Prudential Tower overlooking Boston.

Participation was made possible thanks to the support of Alumni e.V., the Department of Information Systems at the University of Münster, and HPI Engine at the Hasso Plattner Institute under the direction of Dr. Frank Pawlitschek, Managing Director of HPI Engine.