This was worth a headline in the South Tyrol newspaper Dolomiten. The report was on the opening of the vacation course jointly organized by the Technischen Universität München and the Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen - Nürnberg, combined with a ceremony in the Sarnthein community hall. The snappy melodies of folk music were presented by Franz Stofner and his sisters. Every year since 1984 Franz Stofner had given an introduction into the history, customs, and present situation of the Sarnthein valley, a quiet glen north of Bozen - a perfect location for a vacation course with exacting seminars for highly gifted and motivated students of both universities, with the best professors - professors who can be grabbed in the seminars as well as on mountain tours and evenings with claret and chats.
The subjects of the vacation courses are widely spread, from mathematics and computer science, physics and electrical engineering to mechanical engineering, material science, and chemistry. Now 10 years have passed, more and more former assistants come to the courses, who started out as students, and in another 10 years the first professor can be expected who was once a participant.
The Murrerhof, one of the mountain hotels where the students are housed. Photo: R. Kuch
The financing of the vacation courses, which were founded by F.L.Bauer in 1984 and now are under the directorate of Prof. Chr. Zenger, is provided by sponsors from industry, which is aware of the potential it supports. Freedom from government financing means also a flexibility in accounting, it both forces and allows the money to be spent very economically. For the gastronomy in the Sarntheim valley, the regular appearance of the vacation courses at the end of the summer season, according to the local newspaper, is a tremendous boost.
Hans.Kuss@informatik.tu-muenchen.de
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Last update: 21.8.98