![\"Germany's](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/26_005_018.jpg\")
Germany’s Ambassador to the U.S. Jens Hanefeld visited FSU last week to meet with administrators and deliver a lecture and participate in a Q&A session with students Friday, Jan. 23. (Bill Lax\/Florida State University)\t\t<\/p>\n\t\tGermany’s Ambassador to the U.S. Jens Hanefeld visited FSU last week to meet with administrators and deliver a lecture and participate in a Q&A session with students Friday, Jan. 23. (Bill Lax\/Florida State University)\t\t<\/p>\n
Florida State University welcomed Germany\u2019s ambassador to the U.S.\u00a0for a campus visit last week, highlighting the university\u2019s growing role in global research, education and international partnership.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cFlorida and Germany are not just trading, we\u2019re investing in each other\u2019s futures, building jobs and cutting-edge technologies together,\u201d said Hanefeld. \u201cFlorida State University stands out as a powerhouse of cutting-edge research, and this excellence has long resonated across the Atlantic.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
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<\/a> in the College of Social Sciences and Public Policy<\/a>, introduced Ambassador Hanefeld and moderated the question and answer portion.\u00a0<\/p>\n 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\u2019s office from 2005 to 2009. \u00a0<\/p>\n 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. \u00a0<\/p>\n Hanefeld was appointed as Germany\u2019s ambassador to the U.S.\u00a0in August 2025. In this role, Hanefeld represents German interests and works to strengthen diplomatic relations between Germany and the U.S.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n 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\u2019s exports in advanced manufacturing along withtechnology logistics and services.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWe need these collaborations,\u201d he said. \u201cThe great challenges of our time\u2014securing digital infrastructures, resilient supply chains for semiconductors, and breakthroughs in healthcare\u2014cannot be solved by any single country alone.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n 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. \u00a0<\/p>\n While on FSU\u2019s 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. \u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cInstitutional ties are complemented by vibrant academic exchanges with German universities,\u201d said Hanefeld. \u201cTogether these collaborations highlight not only past successes but also the immense potential for future cooperation.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n FSU\/Germany Fast Facts\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n FSU maintains exchange agreements with four German universities through FSU\u2019s Global Exchange Programs<\/a>: Ludwig Maximilians University in Munich, University of Oldenburg, University of Wuppertal and the WHU \u2013 Otto Beisheim School of Management in Vallendar. \u00a0<\/p>\n This semester there is one German exchange student on FSU\u2019s main campus, and three FSU students are participating in exchanges in Germany.\u00a0<\/p>\n Five German student-athletes currently compete on Florida State Seminoles\u2019\u00a0athletic teams, including swimming, tennis and volleyball.\u00a0<\/p>\n To learn more about FSU\u2019s international footprint, visit global.fsu.edu<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n Germany\u2019s Ambassador to the U.S. Jens Hanefeld addressed students, faculty and staff on topics including global security, economic cooperation and international diplomacy Friday, Jan. 23. (Bill Lax\/Florida State University)Ambassador Hanefeld participated in a Q&A session moderated by Associate Professor Gomez following his talk at The Globe Auditorium Friday, Jan. 23. (Bill Lax\/Florida State University)Ambassador Jens Hanefeld engaged with students during a Q&A session at The Globe Auditorium Friday, Jan. 23. (Bill Lax\/Florida State University)Ambassador Jens Hanefeld engaged with students during a Q&A session at The Globe Auditorium Friday, Jan. 23. (Bill Lax\/Florida State University)Ambassador Hanefeld\u2019s talk was followed by an engaging Q&A session at The Globe Auditorium Friday, Jan. 23. (Bill Lax\/Florida State University)Ambassador Hanefeld responded to student questions following his lecture at The Globe Auditorium Friday, Jan. 23. (Bill Lax\/Florida State University)Jens Hanefeld, Germany\u2019s ambassador to the U.S., visited Florida State University\u2019s campus Friday, Jan. 23, as part of an official visit to Tallahassee. (Bill Lax\/Florida State University)Jens Hanefeld, Germany\u2019s ambassador to the U.S., visited Florida State University\u2019s campus Friday, Jan. 23, as part of an official visit to Tallahassee. (Bill Lax\/Florida State University)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Germany’s Ambassador to the U.S. Jens Hanefeld visited FSU last week to meet with administrators and deliver a…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":435406,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[23,206046,206047,206048,206049,206050,206051,3,21,19,22,20,25,24],"class_list":{"0":"post-435405","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-united-states","8":"tag-america","9":"tag-college-of-social-sciences-and-public-policy","10":"tag-department-of-political-science","11":"tag-fsu-global","12":"tag-fsu-international-programs","13":"tag-global-exchanges","14":"tag-national-high-magnetic-field-laboratory","15":"tag-news","16":"tag-united-states","17":"tag-united-states-of-america","18":"tag-unitedstates","19":"tag-unitedstatesofamerica","20":"tag-us","21":"tag-usa"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/435405","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=435405"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/435405\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/435406"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=435405"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=435405"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=435405"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"Brad](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/26_005_002.jpg\")
Brad T. Gomez, associate professor and chair of the Department of Political Science, introduced German Ambassador to the U.S. Jens Hanefeld before his talk at The Globe Auditorium Friday, Jan. 23. (Bill Lax\/Florida State University)<\/p>\n![\"Ambassador](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/26_005_033.jpg\")
Ambassador Hanefeld (left) delivered a lecture moderated by Associate Professor Brad T. Gomez (right) focusing on transatlantic cooperation and Germany\u2019s diplomatic, economic and strategic relationship with the United States at FSU Friday, Jan. 23. (Bill Lax\/Florida State University)<\/p>\n