| |
 Home |
| |
 Programs and Services |
| |
| Meeting Space |
| |
| Video Library |
| |
| Computer Access |
| |
| Update GIC Alumni Records |
| |
| Donate |
| |
|
Greenfield Intercultural Center History
|
"You can't understand what the Intercultural Center means to people who fight for it, yell for it, who sit patiently in meetings for it.Its been my life here at Penn."
Marc Rodriguez, UMC Chairman 1984
 |
The initial idea for an intercultural center at the University of Pennsylvania dates back to a student proposal for a "Third World Center" in 1977 and was an issue in a student sit-in of the Franklin Building in 1978. The intercultural center became an administrative initiative under the tenure of then President Sheldon Hackney in 1982. After a generous donation by the Albert M. Greenfield Foundation and the renovation of a 140 year old house at 3708 Chestnut Street (still the center's home) the Greenfield Intercultural Center was officially opened on the unusually beautiful day of January 27th, 1984. The GIC's mission for the next 15 years was to provide advising services to minority students and their |
organizations and events, as well as conduct forums and programs for the discussion of culture and race for the entire Penn community.
With the founding of the La Casa Latina: The University of Pennsylvania Center for Hispanic Excellence in 1999, Pan Asian American Community House (PAACH) in 2000, and Makuu: Black Cultural Resource Center in 2001 the GIC now works with three sister centers that provide ethnic specific resources, advising, and education for the Penn community. Today the GIC's mission is to serve as an intercultural resource to Penn's campus. To this end, the center designs and implements intercultural programs and provides assistance to administrative units on campus to strengthen cultural competency skills. The GIC is also home to and provides support and technical assistance to the United Minorities Council and other organizations interested in fostering dialogue and cultural alliances on campus. |
|
|
