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Brandeis University
415 South Street
Waltham, MA 02454
781-736-8580
781-736-8587 fax

A Brief History of the Intercultural Center

1960’s            
The Intercultural Center’s roots spread back to the 1960’s when the Afro-American Association requested that Morton May Hall (the current Shapiro Admissions building) be transformed into an African Cultural Center.  These conversations continued through the 1980’s.

1988               
A report by the Advisory Committee on Students of Color made several recommendations to improve academic and social life for students of color, one being the creation of an Intercultural Center.

1989               
The basement of Morton May Hall was transformed into the Intercultural Library.

1990’s             
A shift emerged creating a cultural center with a library.

1992               
On March 4, 1992 the Intercultural Center celebrated it’s opening on the campus of Brandeis University. The theme for the celebration that day was A Vision Realized; intended to recognize the many long hours of hard work put forth by an organized group of student leaders known as the Push Committee. The Push Committee drafted and re-drafted the proposal for the use of the Swig Student Center as an Intercultural Center.

The founding clubs of the Intercultural Center were ¡Ahora!, BBSO, Caribbean ConneXion, Chinese Students and Scholars Association, Korean Student Association, South Asia Club (aka South Asian Students Association), Sepherad, AZAAD, and the Brandeis Asian American Student Association (BAASA).

1997               
Student leaders, the Director, and the Center’s Advisory Board agreed that the books in the Intercultural Library should be integrated into the main library in 1997.

2002               
The Intercultural Center celebrated its 10th Anniversary.

2007               
The Intercultural Center celebrated its 15th Anniversary.