The University of Heidelberg now has its own liaison office in downtown Manhattan. A press release issued in Heidelberg called this an important step towards even closer contacts between the “University of Excellence” and the universities of North America. The tasks of this “knowledge embassy” include promoting existing collaborations, building up new networks, creating joint study programs, and maintaining and expanding academic contacts with American universities.
Heidelberg enjoys an excellent reputation in the United States. The “Times Higher Education – QS World University Rankings 2008” again put it at the top of the German university table. So, not surprisingly, students from all over the world are especially keen to secure a place at Germany's oldest alma mater. About 20 percent of all Heidelberg's students and graduates come from abroad, and the figure is even higher among doctoral students at 35 percent. About a third of all professors appointed at the University of Heidelberg in 2007 were of foreign origin.
