Dresden Students Visited Columbus in September 2025

A delegation of students and teachers from the Berufliches Schulzentrum für Elektrotechnik Dresden (BSZET) visited Columbus for 10 days. The students enjoyed a variety of events and activities including a tour of Columbus sites, visits to area businesses and engineering technology labs, and a day trip to the Hocking Hills.  

Watch the student video below that showcases the students’ takeaways from the 2025 program.

For the 2025 exchange, we showed our support in the following ways:  

• We presented a check in the amount of $6,000 to CSCC from DSCI, a gift made possible through the generosity of the Wobst Family Fund at the Columbus Foundation and a corporate donation from E. L. Robinson.   
• Dresden Sister City member Julie Hallan led a tour of German Village for the exchange participants.
• Dresden and Columbus State students attended a high school football game between DeSales and Bishop Watterson.  Our organization sponsored this event through the purchase of game tickets (a gift of over $300).    

Dresden Sister City has been a major supporter of the student exchange program since its inception. 

Columbus State Community College and Berufsschulzentrum für Elektrotechnik Dresden are partners in a student exchange program.

The program provides Columbus State students the opportunity to travel to Dresden to learn about S.T.E.M. careers in Germany.  Similarly, students from Dresden visit Columbus to learn about careers in electrical engineering and information technology.

The program is unique because it pairs up a Columbus student with a Dresden student so they can shadow each other in the classroom, live together and experience the local culture together.  

Columbus State Students Traveled to Dresden in 2024

In the summer of 2024, Columbus State students traveled to Dresden. To document the experience, Jeremy Banta, an associate professor of supply chain at Columbus State, wrote a daily blog. To read Jeremy’s blog posts, follow the links below.

Dresden & Columbus: Sister City Partnership (2024 – Part Zwei!)

Dresden Pt. 2, Day #3 – Company Tour, Welding & Stadtfest!

Dresden Pt. 2, Day #4 – “Ich bin ein Berliner!”

Dresden Pt 2, Day #5 – Tin Mining and Reconnecting!

Dresden Pt 2, Day #6 – Candy Wrapping & Military History

Dresden Pt 2, Day #7 – Bouldering and Tours

Dresden Pt 2, Day #8 – Hiking, a Boat Ride, and a Reunion!

Dresden Pt 2, Days #9 & #10 – Final Project, Volunteering, and Travel Home!

Fundraising Covers the Cost of the Program for CSCC Students

To make the program accessible to Columbus State students, there is no cost for students to participate.  The program’s cost is covered through donations and fundraising.  

For many students, cost is the primary barrier to these types of unique educational experiences.  Less than 3% of community college students have the opportunity to study abroad.    

Learn More About the Program

Students, faculty return from student exchange in Germany (2024)

Student group from German sister city visiting Columbus State (2023)