What is the reasoning behind the decision to rebrand McDaniel Budapest as McDaniel Europe?
“In order to take fuller advantage of the extraordinary resource that the Budapest campus represents, and to help that resource become better known and more competitive in the global environment, we are reconceptualizing our Budapest presence as the broader entity McDaniel Europe. The new name describes a new approach and an enlarged mission.
McDaniel Europe serves as a reminder of the geographical location of the campus and of centrality of Hungary to Europe as a whole: being in ‘the center of central Europe,’ it is quintessentially European in its character and culture and is an ideal location from which to study and access Europe as a whole.
McDaniel Europe recognizes the role that Hungary has played in the creation of New Europe—in the break-up of the Eastern Block in the 1990s and in the liberalization and democratization of Central and Eastern Europe. Budapest provides a unique vantage from which to appreciate the ongoing European narrative. Hungary continues to play a leadership role in the emergence of the European Union: in 2010, the city of Pecs was one of the European Capitals of Culture, and on January 1, 2011, Hungary became the seat of the EU Presidency.
McDaniel Europe provides a more effective conceptual and organizational framework by which the institutional potential of the campus can be expressed and realized. We envision the campus as offering multiple sets of opportunities and resources.”
What effects do you anticipate will result from this change?
“We expect that the change will bring greater awareness of the College’s Budapest campus throughout higher education. We also expect that this will support recruitment efforts for the Budapest campus, both internationally and in the U.S., in particular in recruiting for study abroad students.”
How will this change be implemented?
“We expect that the change will become ‘official’ at the beginning of the next academic year with President Casey’s address at the opening convocation at the Budapest campus.”
Why and when was the decision made to give McDaniel Gmail accounts to the Budapest students?
“All Budapest students were given gmail accounts at the beginning of spring semester. Although these McDaniel gmail accounts will assist the College in communicating with these students, the primary reason was to enable them to have complete access to all the online holdings in the Hoover library and to better enable the use of the Blackboard LMS.”
Besides the email addresses, have any other changes been made so far?
“We are considering the possibility of new programs at the Budapest campus, especially in international and global studies.
Feedback from students is always welcome and encouraged. Do keep in mind that the change in branding does not have any effect on the name of the institution that students are attending: they are and will continue to be students at McDaniel College on the branch campus in Budapest. ‘McDaniel Europe’ will describe the larger entity of which the branch campus is a part but which also includes McDaniel as a national study abroad site and as a research center for faculty scholars from the US and abroad.”
