“Tensions are boiling over.” “The world is at a critical moment on several fronts — the climate emergency, rising inequality, an increase in hatred and intolerance as well as an alarming number of peace and security challenges.” “Our fraying world needs international cooperation more than ever, but simply saying it will not make it happen. Let’s face it: We have no time to lose.”
—U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres
Remarks - 2019 U.N. General Assembly Session
As U.N. Secretary-General Guterres has warned, the challenges facing the world are indeed sobering. Yet those who understand and have supported the ideals of International House know that while age-old problems continue to persist, the solutions remain clear. What better way to avoid and to ameliorate global conflicts and crises, escalating tensions, and fears of confrontation than to redouble our commitment to the mission of I-House!
Our Mission: Fostering intercultural respect and understanding, lifelong friendships, and leadership skills for a more peaceful world.
Since 1930, I-House has achieved a nine-decade record of excellence in opening minds and broadening perspectives among the next generations of leaders from around the world. More than 95,000 students and scholars have carried on the legacy of John D. Rockefeller, Jr.’s groundbreaking vision at I-House Berkeley as articulated in his founding letter to UC Berkeley President Robert G. Sproul, cited below.
By bringing together in unfettered cooperation the educated young people of all lands, many of whom will in years to come be leaders in their several countries, and by giving them full opportunity for frank discussion on terms of equality, there is being performed, I believe, a service for the well-being of the world, the importance of which is difficult to over-value. International House is a laboratory for a new kind of experiment — the day to day practice of international fellowship among men and women.
— John D. Rockefeller, Jr. - September 29, 1930
As one of our supporters who shares our mission, you appreciate the lifetime impact of the day-to-day practice of international fellowship, and how a gift to International House can create a world of opportunities for our residents from around the globe.
I-House relies on philanthropic support to provide room and board scholarships for students with financial need, to preserve our historic home, to strengthen program offerings, and to position itself for the future. Your contributions to The Fund for I-House provide essential resources that enable us to provide an experience unlike any other at UC Berkeley for the nearly 1,100 residents who reside here annually.
The collective impact of countless friendships, conversations, laughter, and cherished memories have forever shaped the aura of I-House both for those here today and for those who will come tomorrow. During the last fiscal year, we awarded over $800,000 in I-House funded scholarships and financial aid to over 134 deserving residents.
Your gift today provides future global leaders the chance to learn and grow amongst their nearly 600 peers from some 75 countries every hour of every day. Under the I-House dome, their world view shifts from that of being a resident of a fixed place to being a global citizen.
On August 18th, 2019 I-House celebrated 89 years of service in Berkeley. Key repairs, restoration, and renovations are continuously underway in our historic home, and detailed plans are being made for seismic retrofits, updates to the Sproul Kitchen, Gamble Lounge, Café, and front-entry to maintain the building’s charm while enhancing access, the exchange of ideas, and improvements in delivery of services to our residents.
I-House residents enjoy and expand their horizons through cultural coffee hours, excursions, and intercultural leadership training sessions. Over the last 12 months, I-House has welcomed hundreds of alumni and friends through events like our Global Homecoming, our 31st Annual Awards Celebration and Gala, Sunday Suppers, and theme dinners. It is my hope that these events will serve as a personal reminder that you are always welcome at I-House!
I-House brings together residents from different nations, religions, skill sets, and cultural backgrounds and instills within them the desire to make the world a better place. Your gifts to I-House help current and future residents internalize this singular opportunity to enjoy such a life-changing experience.
2019-20 I-House Scholarship Recipients.
Please make your gift today in support of The Fund for I-House. Your generosity provides mission-critical resources that further John D. Rockefeller, Jr.’s original I-House vision of fostering a more just and peaceful world through broader intercultural understanding and mutual respect.
