Student Services Organizations in International Exchange: Partnership between Karlsruhe and Réunion strengthened
14.10.2026Karlsruhe/La Réunion. Learning from one another, gaining new perspectives on daily work, and jointly further developing services for students: Guided by this principle, a four-member delegation from German student services organizations visited the CROUS de La Réunion et de Mayotte last week, from Monday through Friday, October 5–9, 2026. The visit was a reciprocal trip following a meeting in the spring, when colleagues from CROUS were guests in Karlsruhe.
The German delegation was led by Michael Postert, executive director of the Karlsruhe Student Services Organization. The delegation also included Gudrun Hartmann, director of university food services in Frankfurt, as well as Christian Brogle and Claus Konrad, the directors of university food services at the Freiburg and Karlsruhe Student Services Organizations.The week-long program focused on providing insights into the work of the CROUS at its Saint-Denis and Saint-Pierre locations. The delegation visited dining halls, residence halls, and the theater, and exchanged ideas with their French colleagues about organizational structures, work processes, and experiences in supporting and caring for students.“For us, international exchanges are much more than just looking beyond our own horizons. When we see how our colleagues tackle similar challenges under different circumstances, we also take a closer look at our own routines and gain new ideas for our daily work. What matters most is that we take these experiences back with us, share our knowledge, and use them to develop concrete improvements for our students,” emphasizes Michael Postert, executive director of the Karlsruhe Student Services Organization.This professional exchange offers both institutions the opportunity to learn about different approaches, reflect on best practices, and gain new insights for the further development of their programs. The goal is not to blindly adopt other models, but rather to assess the applicability of different experiences and learn from one another. At the same time, personal contact strengthens the foundation for a lasting transfer of knowledge between the institutions.An important milestone was reached on Friday, October 9, 2026, with the signing of a partnership agreement between the CROUS de La Réunion et de Mayotte and the Studierendenwerk Karlsruhe. Both parties agreed to further expand their relationship and, in particular, to strengthen the exchange of staff and students.At an online meeting scheduled for the fall, the agreed-upon project ideas will be fleshed out, and joint initiatives for 2027 will be prepared. The goal is to use these meetings as a foundation for a lasting partnership that fosters ongoing professional exchange, promotes the professional development of staff, and contributes to the long-term improvement of services for students.The exchange was also supported by DFJW.