“Now more than ever!”

Christian Strowa is the new Director of the DAAD Regional Office in New York – and of the German Center for Research and Innovation (DWIH) that is also based in the city. Though only in office since September 2024, Strowa already sees himself facing a radically changed environment following the election of Donald Trump on 6 November. As far as he and the Regional Office are concerned, the battle cry must be: “Now more than ever.” He believes the DAAD needs to bring its extensive experience in transatlantic cooperation to bear and ensure that networks are cultivated, intensified and expanded – not only in the major coastal cities but in particular in the heartland of the US.
Mr Strowa, you’ve only been in New York for two months, were presumably only just beginning to settle in, yet it’s already become clear that the country will soon be a very different place. How did you experience Donald Trump’s election victory?
Many of us spent the evening of the election here at German House together, watching the results come in. At first, the mood was still fairly upbeat. When I went home later, the streets of Manhattan were amazingly empty as many people were at home watching the events unfold on TV. A great sense of disappointment was already palpable the next day, but it was a different atmosphere than the shock that followed Trump’s first election victory in 2016.
In what way?
This time the outcome was very clearcut, unlike in the race against Hillary Clinton. Furthermore, in 2016 many people did not seriously think that Donald Trump could be elected president. And of course, one mustn’t forget that Donald Trump has been the Republican candidate for three consecutive terms now. In other words, voters aged around 30 or younger have never encountered any alternative Republican candidate at the ballot box. And America does have a de facto two-party system, after all.
Many commentators are stressing what a resounding victory it was for the Republicans, but also the opportunity to view the country with fresh eyes now. What are your thoughts about this?
I had already been in New York during an election period once before, as a DAAD scholarship holder exactly 20 years ago. Back then, George W. Bush was the Republican candidate running against the Democrat John Kerry. I was studying at New York University at the time, a traditionally Democratic campus. It was sobering to learn that Kerry hadn’t been successful in the end. But the conviction was that the future belonged to the Democrats in any case, if only because of demographic shifts, if nothing else. That was a common narrative at the time – and a blatant misconception, as we now realise. The Republican election victory was the most resounding for a long time. US society has, if anything, taken a more Conservative turn in recent years – and this applies across all demographics, as the latest election data reveal.
We have been a reliable and established partner for the United States for 99 years – regardless of the government currently in power.
What will this mean for your work at the DAAD?
We anticipate some very noticeable effects, including as regards student mobility. During Trump’s first term as president, the proportion of international students in the US declined by twelve percent. We can now expect, once again, that many young people will opt not to spend a period of time studying in the US. Meaning that their wealth of experience and networks will not be available to us in the next ten to 15 years. At the same time, however, we believe that interest in studying in Germany could further increase. In addition, funding for higher education and research could come under pressure here in the US. By cutting state budgets and imposing new regulations or reforming legislation, the incoming administration has a certain amount of leverage in this context.
By capping student loans granted by the state for certain subject areas, for example?
Yes, for example. Though the humanities and social sciences are bound to have more of a problem here than STEM subjects – also as far as internationalisation is concerned. Donald Trump himself has already trumpeted the slogan “a Green Card for every STEM graduate” on a number of occasions. That said, this would be based on a “tough testing procedure”, presumably a reference to the issuing of visas. However, tighter control of the programmes offered by universities is also conceivable, for example by making it harder for certain courses to obtain public funding. Activities in the areas of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) could become more difficult, and the same could possibly apply to German or European Studies, which the DAAD supports here in the US.
What options does the DAAD have to counter this?
From the DAAD’s perspective, I would say: let’s redouble our efforts! Transatlantic cooperation isn’t facing only challenges – there are opportunities, too. We have been a reliable and established partner for the United States for 99 years – regardless of the government currently in power. What we should now do is step up our efforts to cultivate, intensify and expand transatlantic higher education cooperation. It would be a great mistake to move out of the limelight in the next few years and attempt to sit out the Trump administration period. For one thing, we cannot assume that we would then be welcomed back with open arms. And it is also very difficult to reactivate structures once they have been lost.
During the election campaign, universities faced harsh criticism from the Republican camp. They were accused of being a hotbed of left-wing ideology and of excluding wider society. Is that new-right propaganda?
One fundamental problem appears to be a culture of debate that many people – on both sides of the political spectrum – regard as exclusive rather than inclusive. Excessively one-sided and lurid debates cause positions to become entrenched and lead to a lack of willingness to engage in dialogue. And vice versa, if, for example, debates involve participants bandying about terms and concepts that many people outside the academic domain do not understand, then this can also become a problem. The result can be that those who did not grow up with this discourse and these terms and do not feel addressed on an equal footing will feel excluded. This contributes then to the narrative of the ‘arrogant university elites’ that Donald Trump and J.D. Vance like to cite – mind you, they themselves both graduated from top American universities. It is also not the case that there is a lack of a culture of open discussion at universities. However, I do believe that there is still potential for academic communication to engage more broadly with society.
I’m fascinated by the city’s energy and its ‘can-do’ mentality.
Before taking up your current position, you headed the DAAD’s “Knowledge Exchange and Network” section in Bonn. What appealed to you about moving to New York?
I’m fascinated by the city’s energy and its “can-do” mentality, which is also reflected in a generally positive attitude towards challenges. This was also evident immediately after the election. The typical American pragmatism very quickly became the order of the day: let’s just make the best of the situation. Onwards and upwards! My previous role already involved many aspects that are also relevant here – everything from research security and science diplomacy to strengthening transatlantic relations through higher education cooperation. And I’m still in contact with some of the friends I made during my time at NYU 20 years ago.
What plans do you and your team have for the next few years? What do you intend to focus on in the area of transatlantic academic exchange?
We want to take even greater advantage of the extensive knowledge that is available in our network throughout North America. Our Information Centres in San Francisco and Toronto will play a very important role in this, as will liaising with the DWIH San Francisco and DWIH New York. However, the German studies lectureships, the Centres for German and European Studies and the Alumni and Young and Research Ambassadors also have a central part to play. As the DAAD’s North America team, we, for example, began issuing election bulletins ahead of the election – a kind of newsletter in which we identify and assess the changes we can expect to see in education as a result of the election and the new legislative period. Secondly, we want to increase the reach of our activities so that they extend further into the interior of the US. We want to present ourselves there as a reliable partner, highlight the issues that are important to us, and explain why collaborating with Germany as a location/destination for science and innovation can be more worthwhile than ever. And thirdly, we also want to have a broader public impact in terms of the issues on which we choose to focus and the way we address them.
To which issues are you referring?
For example, the topic of research security, which is something we have been focusing on for some time at the DAAD and has become increasingly relevant in the context of our dealings with China. To this end, we will be taking part next year in a workshop at the Research Security Conference Academic Security and Counter Exploitation (ASCE) in Texas. Research security is an issue that also has high priority for Republicans. It is important to think beyond party lines in this context.
Interview: Klaus Lüber (5 December 2024)