A Vanderbilt University German professor was awarded Monday the Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany, the only order awarded by the president of that nation.
“I am moved. I am deeply grateful,” said Dieter Sevin, professor of Germanic languages and literatures and chair of the department.
During a festive ceremony at Kirkland Hall on the Vanderbilt campus, Sevin was awarded the medal on behalf of German President Horst Köhler by Dr. Lutz H. Görgens, the Atlanta-based Consul General of the Federal Republic of Germany.
“Dieter Sevin is a beacon of German language teaching in the U.S.,” Görgens said. “For almost 40 years, he has taught German language and literature at Vanderbilt. … His entire career so far has been dedicated to promoting the knowledge of German language and literature and culture in the U.S.”
Sevin has published hundreds of articles and books, including one of the most widely used German college texts, Wie geht’s?: An Introductory German Course, co-authored with his wife Ingrid Sevin. He has published significant studies on exile German and East German literature.
“What we are very proud of is that Dieter is being recognized as a global citizen, as a true citizen of the world,” said Nicholas S. Zeppos, interim chancellor of Vanderbilt University. He is a scholar across boundaries, across oceans, and across continents.”
Sevin reminisced about his first arrival as a teenager in the United States nearly 50 years ago in Hoboken, N.J.
“After a very stormy crossing, I could admire the Statue of Liberty,” he said. “My expectations were high, my hopes were great, but never did I imagine that I could be standing here today being recognized by the country where I was born and where I grew up.”
Media Contact: Jim Patterson, (615) 322-NEWS
jim.patterson@vanderbilt.edu