H. G. (George) Will
George Will, a native Berliner who studied at Stanford in the early 1950s and later returned to Berlin as CEO of the pharmaceutical company Henning, has supported Stanford in Berlin since the mid-1970s, when the University decided to move its German campus, which had been established in 1958 in Beutelsbach/Baden Württemberg, to West Berlin. George Will’s support was untiring — from helping to locate student housing to seeking a study center location close to the Freie Universität to endowing enrichment activities, and enabling, in the year 2000, the purchase of Haus Cramer. The purchase, endorsed by many official partners, including the Senator for Science, Research & Culture, the Freie Universität Berlin, and the Berlin Parliament, enjoyed supplemental funding through Stanford University President Prof. Gerhard Casper. The purchase was facilitated through the efforts of then Director of Stanford Overseas Studies Prof. Russell Berman, Director of Stanford in Berlin Dr. Karen Kramer, and the Stanford Club of Germany. In 2019, honoring George Will’s decades of support, the home of Stanford in Berlin was officially renamed the H.G. Will Center.
On the occasion of the 50th anniversary of George’s graduation from Stanford, he established, with matching funds by the Hewlett Foundation, the H.G. Will Fund, which supports a broad range of activities at Stanford in Berlin, most significantly the „H.G. Will Field Trips on European Expansion.” Over 50 cohorts of Stanford students have explored and learned about a new EU member/candidate country on these „Will Trips.“
The “Will Cube” in the foyer of the Center lists George Will’s major contributions to Stanford in Berlin. Through the WILL FOUNDATION George Will has facilitated, among other things, a research collaboration between Stanford and the Berlin Charité, the Deutsches Herzzentrum, and, in partnership with the Freie Universität, brought Nobel Prize holder Prof. Thomas Südhof to Berlin for a major keynote address and a week of networking with life science specialists.
H.G. Will Trips
Since 2005, Stanford in Berlin has conducted over 50 H.G. Will Trips, offering students a rare opportunity to engage directly with political leaders, civil society actors, and scholars in EU member and candidate countries. The original vision of H.G. Will was to expose students studying in Berlin to the lived experience of European transformation in countries that had recently emerged from socialism and chosen the path of Western-style democracy and EU membership. While the context has changed, the core idea remains: to engage students with the realities behind political transitions, and to examine how European ideals are interpreted, implemented—or contested—on the ground. Through high-level meetings, civic encounters, and cultural reflection, the H.G. Will Trip challenges students to think critically, ask bold questions, and become informed global citizens —while building mutual understanding across cultures and systems.
Bratislava – Post-Socialist Transformation and the EU
The city tour in Bratislava highlighted the layered story of Slovakia’s transition from socialism to EU membership. The route began with the legacies of communism—monumental housing blocks, administrative buildings, and the stark bridges over the Danube that revealed the enduring imprint of centralized planning. These sites raised questions about how Slovak society remembers and reinterprets this period.
In the historic core, the focus shifted to nation-building after the Velvet Divorce of 1993, when Slovakia peacefully separated from the Czech Republic. Symbols of independence and statehood, from statues to government squares, illustrated how the young nation crafted a distinct identity. EU accession in 2004 was considered both a practical integration process and a symbolic “return to Europe,” reshaping the country’s economic and political trajectory.
A highlight of the trip included a presentation and discussion between Stanford students and Zuzana Čaputová, former Slovak President, whose reflections offered first-hand insights into leadership, democratic consolidation, and the role of Slovakia in Europe. The students also met and engaged in conversation with literary critic Michal Hvorecký, who examined the fragility of democratic values and the cultural frontlines, where political struggles are often first felt.
The architectural landscape, juxtapositions of socialist blocks, democratic-era renovations, and new EU-funded developments, stood as testimony to contested histories and shifting aspirations. Finally Stanford students engaged in discussions with students from the Bratislava International School of Liberal Arts, tackling questions on how has Slovak identity been shaped by recent history, ways that the Bratislava’s urban landscape narrates change, progress, and loss and Slovakia’s path into the EU.
Vienna – The European Idea: Borders, Belonging, and Neutrality
During the visit to Vienna, students explored how imperial grandeur, democratic tradition, and geopolitical neutrality have shaped Austria’s position in Europe. In a tour that began at Heldenplatz and the Hofburg, the monumental architecture illustrated the persistence of imperial narratives while also recalling the trauma of twentieth-century authoritarianism. Along the Ringstraße and Parliament, the city’s democratic aspirations were reflected in spaces designed to project civic identity and republican values. At Minoritenplatz and the Chancellery, attention shifted to Austria’s postwar neutrality and its evolving role within the European Union. Neutrality was presented not only as a strategic stance but also as a cultural marker that continues to shape public identity. The stop at Judenplatz raised questions of memory and responsibility, where Holocaust commemoration sits uneasily within broader narratives of national history and belonging.
The trip concluded at Schönbrunn Palace, where the legacy of empire was examined through questions of power, privilege, and representation. As one of Europe’s most iconic heritage sites, Schönbrunn illustrated how imperial legacies are preserved, consumed, or critiqued in the present. The contrast between elite memory and the democratic ideals of today’s European Union underscored the tensions between history and modern identity. Outside the structured route, some students explored the Belvedere Museum to see Klimt’s The Kiss, visited the colorful Hundertwasserhaus, or attended Mass at the Augustinerkirche, where Schubert’s Mass No. 5 in A-flat, D678 was performed.
