50th Anniversary Celebrates University's International Tradition

Kristin Luciani | May 9, 2011

Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs Penny Rue, Chancellor Marye Anne Fox and Dean of International Education Lynn Anderson opened the 50th celebration with a warm welcome.
Photos/Erik Jepsen

UC San Diego’s International Center celebrated its 50th anniversary May 3 with a reception featuring historic photo and video images and international refreshments, as well as remarks from campus leadership, past and current international students and founders of the International Center.

Established 50 years ago, at the same time as the university, the International Center supports a community of international students and scholars both on campus and in the San Diego region. From hosting international lunches to providing a wealth of information about studying abroad, the center fosters global citizenship and cultural enrichment.

“Our founders built this university from the ground up 50 years ago by recruiting to campus top scholars from all around the world,” said Chancellor Marye Anne Fox. “They realized the importance of creating a welcoming environment for our international academics, who were new to the campus, to the San Diego community and some even to the U.S.”

Ruth Newmark, one of the first co-presidents of the Friends of the International Center, signs her book “Celebrating 50 Years of the International Center at UC San Diego: 1961-2011” for Edward Spriggs, Assistant Vice Chancellor-Financial Management.

To celebrate the center's anniversary, current students, faculty and staff, as well as alumni and some of the original founders reconnected and reflected on the past 50 years. Photographs, newspaper clippings and scrapbooks filled the space, showing off the events, experiences and people over the institution's first 50 years. Looking towards the future, a display featured a model and images of the proposed new building for the center.

Lynn Anderson, the center's director and dean of International Education, described the institution’s tremendous growth over the last half century, from supporting 600 incoming and travelling students and scholars in the beginning to more than 6,000 today.

“UC San Diego is a global player and a global connector,” said Anderson. “The International Center is the welcome pad for international students and scholars arriving at UCSD, and a launching pad for students travelling abroad.”

The founding of the International Center, and its continued success, is in large part due to the dedicated support of the Friends of the International Center. This group volunteers their time and coordinates fundraising efforts to support events, programs and scholarships that promote education and foster friendship, understanding and cooperation within the international community.

Walter Munk, renowned oceanographer and one of UC San Diego's founders, joined in the International Center's anniversary celebration.

“It’s overwhelming to see how many people have gathered here today,” said Ruth Newmark, the first co-president of the Friends of the International Center. Newmark went on to describe the early days of the center, from the fundraising dinners hosted by university founders Walter and Judy Munk to the La Jolla church used as a temporary meeting space before the center on campus was built.

Current and former international students also offered remarks during the program. Geert Schmid-Schoenbein, professor of bioengineering at UC San Diego, first came to the university in 1971 as an international student from Germany. He was one of the first students to live in the student apartment at the International Center and served as the president of the International Student Association. The Iron Curtain divided the world back then, Schmid-Schoenbein recalled, but the International Center provided a warm welcome. Speaking to the audience, he described the eye-opening experience of talking with other students and learning about opportunities in the Unted States that weren’t available behind the curtain. 

To commemorate the occasion, the Friends of the International Center debuted the new book, “Celebrating 50 Years of the International Center at UC San Diego: 1961-2011.” Edited by Newmark in collaboration with Betty Shor, another early member of the Friends group, the book provides a comprehensive look at the origins and evolution of the International Center. To order a book, visit http://icenter.ucsd.edu/friends/bookorder.html.

To learn more about the International Center, visit http://icenter.ucsd.edu/index.html.