David T. Fisher

Director 
Princeton German Summer Work Program

I had the good fortune to come to know Max Otte in my capacity as Director of Princeton University’s German Summer Work Program and Chair of the Princeton Alumni Association of Germany. The German Summer Work Program organizes internships for Princeton undergraduates in the German-speaking parts of Europe.

I was able to make contact with Prof. Otte’s because he is a graduate of Princeton’s elite Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs. True to that institution’s international perspective Prof. Otte was more than happy to assist me in finding unusual internship opportunities for young people in Europe. Every year since the beginning of our relationship he has organized internships in the German financial industry which offer students unique opportunities to learn about international finance from a professional perspective. The chance to intern with Prof. Otte is now regarded within our program as one of the prime experiences on offer. The students fortunate enough to have been selected for this internship are unanimous in their praise. One young man was so enthusiastic, in fact, that he nominated Prof. Otte for consideration for election as a Trustee of Princeton University, one the greatest honours that Princeton has to bestow.

During the course of our relationship I, as an entrepreneur, have also come to appreciate Prof.Otte’s competence in financial matters. A few months after the financial meltdown of 2008 Prof. Otte was the guest of honour at a Princeton reception at which he brought the tumultuous events of the preceding months into sharp perspective providing the audience with good advice for dealing with these difficult times. His succinct and convincing analysis so impressed me that I now have become a regular and enthusiastic reader of his books and articles. I regard him as one of the foremost public commentators on financial affairs. In the murky world of finance fraught as it is with greed, dishonesty and predatory practices Max Otte stands out as a beacon of honesty, humility and reasoned judgement. He, therefore, personifies those qualities of public service that Princeton so endeavours to instill in its students.