Florida State University welcomed Germany’s ambassador to the U.S. for a campus visit last week, highlighting the university’s growing role in global research, education and international partnership.
German Ambassador to the U.S. Jens Hanefeld met with FSU administrators and engaged with students, faculty and staff Friday, Jan. 23. Hanefeld was in Tallahassee to sign a Joint Declaration of Intent between the State of Florida and the Federal Republic of Germany, promoting strategic investment, industrial ties and economic growth.
“Florida and Germany are not just trading, we’re investing in each other’s futures, building jobs and cutting-edge technologies together,” said Hanefeld. “Florida State University stands out as a powerhouse of cutting-edge research, and this excellence has long resonated across the Atlantic.”
Following his talk, which took place in The Globe Auditorium, Hanefeld engaged in a discussion with students, answering questions ranging from the war in Ukraine and Russian oil dependency to career paths in foreign service. Brad T. Gomez, associate professor and chair of the Department of Political Science in the College of Social Sciences and Public Policy, introduced Ambassador Hanefeld and moderated the question and answer portion.
Hanefeld joined the German Federal Foreign Office in 1991 and has built a distinguished diplomatic career over more than three decades. Early in his service, he held posts at the Federal Foreign Office in Bonn and Berlin and at the German Embassy in Sofia, Bulgaria. From 2001 to 2005 he served as private secretary to the Secretary of State, followed by his role as head of the Secretary of State’s office from 2005 to 2009.
From 2009 to 2014, Hanefeld served as Minister and Deputy Chief of the Mission at the German Embassy in Washington, D.C. From 2014 to 2024 he joined the Volkswagen Group as the senior vice president for International, European, and Trade Policy, bringing his diplomatic experience to bear on global economic and trade issues. Prior to his current appointment, Hanefeld served as the German Ambassador to Ethiopia and Permanent Observer to the African Union in 2024.
Hanefeld was appointed as Germany’s ambassador to the U.S. in August 2025. In this role, Hanefeld represents German interests and works to strengthen diplomatic relations between Germany and the U.S.
During his presentation, Hanefeld reinforced the importance of transatlantic cooperation and the benefits of partnership between Florida and Germany. He explained that there is clear potential to grow Florida’s exports in advanced manufacturing along withtechnology logistics and services.
“We need these collaborations,” he said. “The great challenges of our time—securing digital infrastructures, resilient supply chains for semiconductors, and breakthroughs in healthcare—cannot be solved by any single country alone.”
Germany is currently the third-largest foreign investor in Florida, with around 200 German companies employing approximately 40,000 people across the state. The cooperation in innovation and education between Florida and Germany is beneficial to all parties, strengthening economic ties, fostering research collaboration, and creating opportunities for students and businesses alike.
While on FSU’s main campus, Hanefeld also met with administrators from across the university to discuss its existing connections with Germany and explore ways to expand those partnerships and build new ones.
“Institutional ties are complemented by vibrant academic exchanges with German universities,” said Hanefeld. “Together these collaborations highlight not only past successes but also the immense potential for future cooperation.”
FSU/Germany Fast Facts
- FSU maintains exchange agreements with four German universities through FSU’s Global Exchange Programs: Ludwig Maximilians University in Munich, University of Oldenburg, University of Wuppertal and the WHU – Otto Beisheim School of Management in Vallendar.
- This semester there is one German exchange student on FSU’s main campus, and three FSU students are participating in exchanges in Germany.
- FSU students can study abroad in Dresden through International Programs’ Experiencing Germany program, a German-language intensive summer program that acquaints participants with the language and culture of contemporary Germany.
- Five German student-athletes currently compete on Florida State Seminoles’ athletic teams, including swimming, tennis and volleyball.
- German is one of the majors offered to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree in Modern Languages, Literatures, and Cultures from the Department of Modern Languages and Linguistics.
- In 2014, scientists at the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory (MagLab) completed the world’s strongest magnet for neutron scattering for the Helmholtz Centre Berlin (HZB) in Berlin, Germany.
To learn more about FSU’s international footprint, visit global.fsu.edu.
