Uli Leibrecht, executive director and founder of CEPA Customized Educational Programs describes herself as high energy, empathetic and intuitive. There is never a dull moment… she is always up for new ventures and new projects, she tells The PIE.
What was your first job in international education?
I started my career in international education as the marketing manager, and later director of Schiller International University in the UK and later in Germany and France.
SIU was founded by my husband’s family and while visiting our partner universities in the US in 1999/2000, the idea to develop short-term customised faculty-led programs came up.
Universities were looking for ways to internationalise but wanted to keep their curriculum and their tuition – so faculty-led programming seemed like the perfect solution.Describe a defining moment in your career.
During the financial crash in 2007/2008 we lost our key university partner and realised how important it is to diversify and not put all our eggs in one basket. The [pandemic] years were, for everybody, a big impact. It made me realise how fragile everything we built up is and how fast all the paradigms can shift. From one day to the next, you can go from “your best business year ever” to zero business, and a struggle for financial survival for your team and your company.What about the current state of global education keeps you awake at night?
I am a very positive and forever-optimistic person. However, external circumstances like the current political and economic unrest, the very worrisome shift towards unhealthy nationalism in the US as well as in Europe, climate change, unstable financial markets etc., can severely impact the good work that we and all our colleagues in the international education field do.
In Europe we have been luckier than in other parts of the world, such as Brazil or Africa, that have been even more challenged by various health crises, diseases and wars, however COVID-19 and the war in the Ukraine has made us aware that we cannot take for granted that we live in a safe and peaceful place in here central Europe.What is one student’s life changing story you recall?
There are so many – and when I receive a letter or email from a student telling me how life-changing their semester abroad at our Château in Strasbourg has been, it really makes my day and any troubles worthwhile. Students tell me that they got a job in the Bundestag or at the US State Department because of their experience abroad, or a fantastic job at a French company in the US. We also had a couple who came back to the Château to get married here, because they had met during a study abroad program with us.
Share a memorable cultural exchange experience you’ve had.
When I bought a French company with 10 staff members in 2009, I thought it should be easy since I had managed to build an excellent and high-performing German team with CEPA. It never came to my mind that the new French company would have a very different dynamic and way of operating and different expectations in regard to leadership. Telling the new French team that “this is the way we do business in Germany” certainly didn’t help.
Plus, I had to struggle with the French language, in which I was fairly advanced but not yet fluent. And accepting a two-hour lunch break (which we eventually managed to reduce to one-hour) and a 35-hour work week wasn’t easy either. It took me several years to realise, that even though the approach may be a different one, the outcome or results can be the same or better.What’s the most interesting trend you’ve observed in our industry recently?
Among our American students, I’ve noticed a trend of moving towards sustainable behaviour and awareness. Students are seeking meaningful experiences; social responsibility has become an important topic and non-traditional study abroad locations are on the rise. We are unfortunately also seeing a growing trend in mental health issues amongst students, which can become a challenge for study abroad groups.
“Telling the new French team that “this is the way we do business in Germany” certainly didn’t help”
Describe a project or initiative you’re currently working on that excites you.
Together with my husband and a friend, I started an aid project in Guatemala, and we have built an elementary school, an adult learning centre and a health centre with a local foundation. The community of Vuelta Grande now has about 300 families who have benefited immensely from this centre in the past year. It’s just wonderful to see how the living situation and the health of the children and families has improved in the past 10 years, due to the Centre.
What’s are important skills for someone working in international education to possess?
Tolerance, respect and curiosity for other cultures and mentalities. And to be able to speak a foreign language certainly helps as well.
