The Daily Bulletin Archive

Buffalo State faculty and staff provided an unforgettable study tour of Western New York for a group of 40 French-speaking Belgian, Swiss, and French nationals July 2–9 through the Buffalo-Lille Association, part of Sister Cities International.

Jean F. Gounard, director of international student affairs, was the central organizer of activities for the delegation from the region surrounding Lille, France, one of Buffalo’s seven Sister Cities. The group—which included business owners, physicians, teachers, architects, painters, and the deputy mayor of Mouscron, Belgium—aimed to build international partnerships and develop exchange programs.

The visit was the sixth time a delegation from Europe visited Western New York since the Buffalo-Lille Association formed in 1989. Members began each day at Buffalo State College before departing for sites throughout Western New York. They exchanged gifts with Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown, met with Erie County Executive Chris Collins, spent a day in Niagara Falls, and toured leading businesses, cultural organizations, medical centers, and educational institutions.

According to Gounard, who also serves as president of the Buffalo-Lille Association, the visit created significant connections between the local and international communities. “Buffalo State was at the center of a community-oriented program that benefited all of Western New York,” he said. “It was much more than a tourist trip. We included professional tracks for business, educations, arts, and health.”

Clifford Bell, senior business adviser with the Small Business Development Center, organized the business track. About a dozen tour group members visited General Mills, CertainTeed Corporation, New Era Cap Company, Sorrento Lactalis, Rich Products, Calspan Corporation, Delaco Steel, and HealthNow New York on July 7 and 8.

“I’ve wanted to tour many of these companies myself for years,” Bell said. “The group was able to see some of the very best Western New York has to offer, and they’re certainly going to have something to talk about back at home.” Bell also organized a soul food dinner and jazz music for the delegation on July 6.

Daniel Cunningham, associate professor of mathematics, Marianne Foley, associate librarian with E. H. Butler Library, Richard Herdlein, associate professor of student personnel administration, and Joanne Merlino, secretary 2 in the Academic and Student Affairs Office, were among 13 area host families for the delegation.

“I was part of the American delegation to Mouscron last year, and I returned the favor to the family I stayed with,” Merlino said. “For Buffalo State, this tour was a great opportunity to show our European friends an urban campus that is surrounded by great things.”

Herdlein, who was also part of last year’s delegation, organized a farewell party at his house on July 8. “Two of my graduate students also went to Belgium last summer,” he said. “They now have European connections and a very unique experience to add to their résumés.”

Merlino hopes more faculty and staff will participate in the next trip to the Lille region and will consider becoming host families as well. “It’s such a great experience,” she said. “I’m going to have these friends for the rest of my life.”