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1997 – 2026

History & Heritage

  • Schloss Kleiningersheim

    In 1964, Schiller College was founded at Kleiningersheim Castle near Stuttgart, German with a vision was to blend American academic standards with a global, intercultural learning environment.

The history of CEPA is deeply entwined with the Leibrecht family, whose work in international education spans three generations across Germany, France, England, Spain, Switzerland, and the United States.

The Roots: Dr. Walter Leibrecht & Schiller

The family’s involvement and legacy in international education began with Dr. Walter Leibrecht (1927–2007), who pioneered American study-abroad programs in post-WWII Europe. He was an accomplished German-American theologian, academic, and professor who taught or held positions at several American and German institutions, including Columbia University, the Harvard Divinity School, the University of Chicago, and the Northwestern University’s Garrett Theological Seminary.

Inspired by the German poet and philosopher, Friedrich Schiller and his humanistic, global ideas, Dr. Leibrecht established Schiller College in 1964 at Kleiningersheim Castle near Stuttgart, Germany as one of the earliest private American universities in Europe, aimed at fostering transatlantic cultural exchange and study abroad opportunities for U.S. students. His vision was to blend American academic standards with a global, intercultural learning environment.

Seeking a flagship European campus, in 1972, he purchased the historic Château de Pourtalès in Strasbourg, France, when it was falling into disrepair. He renovated the castle and converted it into a student residence and academic center, housing study abroad and international students from all over the world for over 25 years.

Over the following decades, Schiller expanded rapidly, opening additional campuses in Heidelberg, Paris, Madrid, London, Engelberg, Leysin, and Florida, eventually evolving into Schiller International University (SIU) in 1981.

Through Schiller, the Leibrecht family built a deep expertise in international university administration, intercultural education, and managing European campus facilities.

Founding of CEPA

Building on this legacy of transatlantic education and experience, Walter Leibrecht’s son, Harald Leibrecht, and daughter-in-law, Ulrike (Uli) Leibrecht, established what is today, the CEPA brand in 1997.

While SIU was a traditional degree-granting institution with fixed campuses, CEPA was created to meet a growing demand from U.S. universities for tailored, short-term, and faculty-led study abroad programs across Europe. CEPA focused on custom, faculty-led short-term programs and tailored academic itineraries across Europe for North American colleges and universities.

Expansion & Growth of CEPA

In the 2000s when Schiller International University relocated its Strasbourg campus, the Leibrecht family retained ownership of the Château de Pourtalès. Under Uli and Harald Leibrecht’s leadership, CEPA expanded its locations by opening CEPA’S first European Study Center at the historic Château de Pourtalès in Strasbourg, France.

This flagship venue provides open-enroll study abroad programs focused on European and international politics, business, and intercultural leadership. Through the years, Uli has built strong partnerships with the Université de Strasbourg, EU and European institutions, non-governmental organizations, and the local community in and around Strasbourg.

Over time, CEPA extended its faculty-led programming beyond Western Europe to include opportunities in Guatemala, Costa Rica, and Peru with a focus on service-learning and cultural immersion.

Political Service & the CEPA Foundation

Harald Leibrecht brought a significant background in diplomacy and government to the family’s education efforts.

From 2002 to 2013, Harald served as a member of the German Federal Parliament (Bundestag). In 2011, Chancellor Angela Merkel appointed him as the Coordinator of Transatlantic Cooperation for the German Federal Government.

Following his political career, Harald took over as President of the Board of Directors for the CEPA Foundation, a U.S. 501(c)(3) public nonprofit created in 2013 to expand student access to international education through scholarships, grants, and global sustainability initiatives.

A New Chapter: Building the Future with Terra Education

As Executive Director and Co-Founder, Peter Mombaur oversees the organization’s global brand portfolio, a mission strengthened in January 2026 with the integration of CEPA as its dedicated higher education study abroad division.

Headquartered in San Diego, Terra Education is a Certified B Corporation that designs and manages transformative international programs for high school and university students, teens, families, and active older adults.

By honoring its rich European heritage while pioneering new models of global learning, CEPA is shaping a future where immersive cultural exchange empowers the next generation of global citizens to lead, connect, and thrive.

A look back in time

30 years in education abroad

  • 1997 The Beginning

    Inspired by Schiller International University, Founder and Director Ulrike Leibrecht created SIU Travel, the foundation of today’s CEPA brand, to help faculty leaders and students navigate every aspect of their study abroad programs in Europe.

  • 2001 First faculty-led group

    The very first faculty-led group of American students come to Europe for 3 weeks. Their program is titled “Europe: Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow”.

  • 2002 Numbers of programs are growing

    Programs and partnerships expand with the University of Georgia, Niagara University, Gardner Webb University, and the Art Institutes.

  • 2003 First Canadian group

    The first group of students from Canada are hosted in France. They are from Humber College in Toronto.

  • 2004 First long-term program

    The first long-term faculty-led group program is hosted for students from the Art Institutes as part of their “Odyssey Program – Summer Quarter in France, Germany and UK”.

  • 2006 The brand "CEPA Europe" is born

    At the same time, SIU Travel starts offering internships for individual students and student groups as part of their faculty-led program.

  • 2007 Celebrating 10 years of study abroad

    The 10-year anniversary is celebrated at its study center in Strasbourg, France – the Château de Pourtalès.

  • 2008 Semester and summer abroad programs for individual students are added to the portfolio

    CEPA builds partnerships with prestigious European universities and begins offering direct enrollment summer and semester abroad programs in Germany, the Czech Republic, Ireland, Spain, England, and France.

    The first student groups from Russia (MIIT) and Kuwait (American University of Kuwait) are hosted in Europe.

  • 2009 First ESC Semester Program in Strasbourg

    CEPA begins offering group airfares.

    The “EU Studies Fall semester program” in Strasbourg, France is launched with students from Georgia State University.

    The first faculty-led group of students from Brazil is hosted in Europe.

  • 2011 New study center in Heidelberg, Germany

    The European Study Center (ESC) Heidelberg is inaugurated in Heidelberg, Germany.

    The CEPA logo is redesigned to better reflect our mission of developing faculty-led programs with a strong academic focus.

  • 2012 CEPA expands destinations

    CEPA expands to include faculty-led destinations in Asia and Brazil. The brands “CEPA Brazil” and “CEPA Asia” are being promoted.

    Celebration of CEPA’s 10th year of partnership with Garnder-Webb University to run its programs.

  • 2013 CEPA Foundation is founded

    The CEPA Foundation is created and receives its non-profit 501(c)(3) status in the United States.

    The first “Castle Talks” international symposium is held at the CEPA study center in Strasbourg, France.

  • 2014 New CEPA branch office in Strasbourg, France

    CEPA opens its first branch office in Strasbourg, France.

    Kindern eine Chance, CEPA’s non-profit organisation based in Germany, begins its first charitable projects in Guatemala.

    The first free webinar on Curriculum Integration is offered through the non-profit CEPA Foundation.

  • 2015 10-year anniversary with West Virginia University

    Celebration of the 10-year anniversary of CEPA’s partnership with the West Virginia University (Law program in Strasbourg, France).

    CEPA starts a collaboration with StudentUniverse to offer even better rates for international flights and an easier payment process to its university partners.

    People’s Choice Award: CEPA Europe is nominated for the prestigious People’s Choice Award from the GoAbroad.com Annual Innovation Awards.

  • 2016 Over 100 faculty-led programs in a single year

    The milestone of running over 100 faculty-led programs in a single year is achieved! The 100th group of students in 2016 is from the University of Florida. (read more).

    Celebration of its 10th year of partnership running the Humber College Semester Program in Strasbourg, France (read more).

    Both websites for the European Study Center (ESC) in Heidelberg and Strasbourg as well as the CEPA Foundation are relaunched.

  • 2017 Celebrating 20 years in education abroad

    CEPA Europe, CEPA Brazil, and CEPA Asia are combined under the single brand “CEPA” as even more destinations are now being offered.

  • 2018 Global Learning Collective

    The Global Learning Collective (GLC) is founded as a consortium of five study abroad organizations – The Asia Institute, Athena Study Abroad, CampusB, CEPA, and EDU Africa.

    Our shared goal is to connect more corners of the world through this partnership of our family-run organizations focused on authentic, local, and immersive opportunities abroad.

    Learn more at GLCollective.org

  • 2019 CEPA Goes Green

    CEPA commissioned a study of its carbon footprint by the Green Initiative, a UN Climate Neutral Program recognized consulting firm that provides advisory, training and certifications services for climate and sustainability objectives.

  • 2020 CEPA Goes Carbon Neutral

    CEPA GmbH and CEPA Foundation Inc. sign a Climate Action Pledge and confirm their commitment to manage their CO2 footprint, to 1. Measure their greenhouse gases emissions; 2. Reduce those emissions through private action; 3. Compensate emissions through off-setting, including volunteer actions for forest restoration and Certified Emission Reductions (CER’s).

  • 2022

    CEPA pledges to voluntarily offset the on-site carbon emissions created by all our study abroad programs.

  • 2023 - 2024 Climate initiatives continue

    As part of our Climate and Nature Action Plan to compensate for the emissions and environmental impact of our study abroad participants, native trees are planted in Costa Rica’s Osa Peninsula through the non-profit Saimiri Foundation, and carbon offsets have been secured through UN-certified projects.

    Learn more

  • 2026 CEPA joins Terra Education

    In January 2026, CEPA joined Terra Education, a San Diego-based global organization and Certified B Corp that operates a diverse portfolio of educational programs worldwide. As CEPA continues to expand, it remains dedicated to preserving and leveraging its proud European heritage and expertise.