The academic partnership between UT Arlington (UTA) and LFU Innsbruck (LFU) goes back to 1989, when UTA Professor Craig Kuhner first started to teach a yearly architectural photography course at LFU Innsbruck. Under Kuhner’s leadership, the formal Exchange Program was initiated in 1996. Ever since, Professors Gabriela Seifert-Kavan in 1997, John Maruszczack from 2002-2010, and Marjan Colletti in 2010, started to become visiting faculty members abroad, connecting both institutions.

In 2016, Dr. Oswald Jenewein started to direct this academic partnership. As an Austrian-born alumnus of LFU Innsbruck who became a professor at UT Arlington, Dr. Jenewein was set to expand the ties between the two institutions.

“International studies are a crucial part of the academic world. Growing and developing the trans-Atlantic partnership between UTA & LFU fills me with joy, providing students a platform to expand their professional and personal horizons.”

– Dr. Oswald Jenewein, Program Director, Assistant Professor

By introducing a Summer Program and Scholar Program in the following years, the academic partnership started operating in four crucial academic exchange sectors. In 2024, a fifth program has been added, providing a comprehensive global framework for academic exchange from the undergraduate to the post-graduate level: (1) Faculty Program (1989-current), (2) Exchange Program (1996-current), (3) Summer Program (2018-current), (4) Scholar Program (2018-current), (5) International Program (2024-current).