The MUDEC Campaign

Case for Support

Executive Summary

For the past 55 years, the Miami University Dolibois European Center (MUDEC) has represented the gold standard for study abroad programs. In 1968, in a time of national turmoil, Miami University President Phillip Shriver tasked an exploratory group to develop a list of locations where Miami could establish an overseas center and allow students the opportunity to advance their global understanding through international study and engage with the local community.

John Dolibois
John Dolibois ’42, Former U.S. Ambassador to Luxembourg and Miami University Vice President for University Relations

Miami considered locations in Japan, Switzerland, France, Austria, and Luxembourg. It was John Dolibois who made the case for his native Luxembourg, a country centrally located within Europe and noted for its multilingual and multicultural society. In 1968, the first Miami students set forth on an academic adventure that has since ignited confidence, empowered exploration, engendered lifelong passion for travel and instilled cultural understanding in over 11,500 Miami students.

Fifty years later, the Luxembourg-American Chamber of Commerce awarded Miami University with the 2018 Honorary Luxembourg-American Business Award. The award recognizes an organization for its unique and lasting contribution to trade and business between the United States of America and the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. Such an honor recognizes the transformative partnership that has developed over the last five decades between Luxembourg and Miami.

Today, Miami remains a leader, ranked third nationally for percentage of students who study abroad, anchored by the 55-year MUDEC foundation. As we celebrate our strong foundation and history, we look ahead to the future and accept the responsibility of strengthening the MUDEC experience for generations to come.

Juggling the responsibilities of MUDEC classes, an independent research project and my duties as Student Faculty Council chair, all while finding time to travel every weekend, have prepared me to be a motivated, self-starting hard worker. I feel incredibly prepared to embark on my Fulbright grant to Bulgaria next year, in large part thanks to my experience at MUDEC.”

– Alexa Askari ’18
2018 Fulbright Finalist

MUDEC by the numbers

  • Miami University is consistently in the top five institutions of higher education in the United States for the percentage of undergraduate students who study abroad, with MUDEC serving as the most popular and longest running study abroad program at the university.
  • Each year, 400 Miami students, which equates to 20% of Miami University’s students, study abroad in Luxembourg.
  • The MUDEC program in Luxembourg offers students a mix of housing options, including studio apartments and home stays that allow for a truly immersive experience living abroad, learning new languages, and developing cultural awareness.
  • Students with summer internships can extend their stay to a total of eight months abroad, which is longer than 99% of the annual U.S. study abroad student population.
  • Each semester, 25-30 courses are offered at MUDEC.
    • Multiple cohorts allow students from various programs to study abroad at MUDEC. These include Sport Leadership and Management (SLAM), Kinesiology (KNH), Architecture, Education (Education majors can complete 50% of their student teaching requirements while studying abroad), and the Luxembourg Digital Innovation Program.
    • 40% of non-cohort students are enrolled at Farmer School of Business.
  • Nearly 30 faculty and staff members in Luxembourg are dedicated to supporting MUDEC students.