University wants to be bridge for troubled US-French relations

American Univesity in Paris

Door Jan van der Made

US-French relations are not always easy, but state-sponsored academics try to ease tensions. The American University in Paris was founded in 1962 by US State Department official Lloyd DeLamater, a war veteran who was married to a french woman. According to the AUP website, he sought to “'bridge the gap of narrow nationalisms,'” creating an institution that would educate those ready to explore a world far beyond their birthplace." Listen to Gerardo della Paolera (AUP director from 2002 to 2008) and students Fernando from Brazil, Marina from France and Perrine Delobelle, the university's Porte Parole.

The AUP is part of the Association of American International Colleges and Universities which has 21 members world wide including the American University in Beirut, Cairo and Rome.