UNM's German Department is celebrating its last 40 years with an interdisciplinary conference that features music, art and lectures throughout the week.
Professor Peter Pabisch, who has been an integral part of the program for 32 years, will receive special recognition for his dedicated service and innovative ideas in the department.
Although the German program started when the University opened in 1889, when Pabisch came to UNM in 1972, it was in need of some fresh air. Since then, he and his colleagues over the years have made numerous lasting contributions to ensure the program's continued development.
Lectures, music and art will be part of the series of events to showcase the department that runs until Sunday. The works of Georg Eisler will be on display at the UNM Art Museum from April 12-30. On Friday, the music of Eisler's father Hanns will be performed by UNM professors Falko Steinbach, Leslie Umphrey and Krzysztof Zimowski, concert master for the New Mexico Symphony Orchestra, from 4-6 p.m. in Keller Hall.
Officially titled "Pioneering 'German Studies' in the Trans-Atlantic Context," the seminar is designed to give the UNM community a chance to see what has been going on in the German Department over the past 40 years and get a glimpse of what the future may hold, Pabisch said.
"The seminar is designed to give a feeling of the moment," Pabisch said. "Forty years have gone by. This is where we stand and we want to show once more what we have, what could be done in the future and by and large, that we have a healthy program."
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In 1980, Pabisch and colleague George F. Peters started the acclaimed German graduate program, which has since integrated with Die Deutsche Sommerschule or The German Summer School, which has been held in Taos every summer since 1975.
The summer school program brings scholars from all over the world to teach students from across the country for a month of total immersion in the German language.
Perhaps one of the most important aspects of the German studies program is that students gain knowledge not only of the German language, but of the culture and history of the country, as well as countries throughout the European Union, Pabisch said.
David Warren, chairman of the Foreign Languages and Literature Department, has worked with Pabisch since his first year at UNM. Pabisch will retire from full-time teaching this year.
"Peter has been here since 1972, and since then, he has been a central figure in the German Department," Warren said. "We can't really replace him."
Although he says he will miss teaching, Pabisch has received Professor Emeritus status from the FLL and says he will continue his research and teach some courses on a voluntary basis.
"After 32 years at UNM and 45 teaching all together, I am quite ready to leave," Pabisch said.
