(L-R) George Lentz; Raymond Manes, MUDEC Executive Director; Mathias Lentz; Credit: Chronicle.lu

On Wednesday 4 October 2023, the Miami University Dolibois European Center (MUDEC) in Differdange inaugurated a new student resident and studios.

The new facility is in the Gravity complex on Rue Jean Dolibois in Differdange, just ten minutes walk from the university campus in the chateau on the Impasse du Château.

MUDEC is an overseas campus of Miami University, Ohio, USA, and welcomes around 100 students for each autumn, spring and summer semester, many of these from the College of Education, Health and Society. However, this semester there are 154 students enrolled, with 170+ students anticipated to attend next semester. When Chronicle.lu talked with Stephanie Shaheen, Associate Director at MUDEC, she explained that since the pandemic when many students lost out on the opportunity to travel to Luxembourg to study for a semester, many (including first-year students) are now applying while they get the opportunity.

This then puts a strain on the already difficult challenge of finding accommodation for MUDEC students, with MUDEC owning some and renting other accommodation, with host families also supportive. This new student residential facility partly addresses this issue which provides accommodation for 50 students, each with their own 20m2 single-occupancy studio in the Gravity complex. MUDEC has the 2nd and 6th floors, with each studio having its own en-suite bathroom and fridge, with each floor having communal kitchens, and a co-working / co-living space on the ground floor. Each floor has a Resident Assistant, in charge of various issues.

The building also has communal washing a drying facilities, and some of the ground floor units are let to commercial enterprises, including a bakery/café. The next building - on the short walk to the academic campus in Differdange chateau - is the Differdange shopping centre with an Auchan supermarket, with the local train station with a direct link to Luxembourg-gare just next door too.

Chronicle.lu also talked with Raymond Manes, Executive Director at MUDEC, and George Lentz, MUDEC alumni, who explained that the building is owned by the Ville de Differdange and MUDEC took a 25-year lease on the two floors (plus part of the ground floor), with the alumni helping to organise the financing.

The inauguration concluded with a reception in the chateau.

MUDEC students and Gravity Student Residents (Credit: Chronicle.lu)