History
Brandeis University was founded in 1948, in the early years of the United Nations and UNESCO. In its first decade, scholars in flight from the ravages of war in Europe found a home at Brandeis and helped to shape an academic culture that was cosmopolitan, tolerant, and deeply intellectual.
Some brief highlights of those foundational years include:
The Wien International Scholarship Program
The Wien Program, founded in 1958 through a visionary gift by the philanthropist Lawrence A. Wien, was one of the first U.S. scholarship programs for international students primarily from the developing world. The program has brought almost 900 future leaders from over 100 countries to Brandeis.
Designing a “Relevant” Curriculum
Among the features of early Brandeis academic study was Education-S, a seminar for seniors that featured lectures from world leaders and thinkers like Indira Ghandi, Alfred Kinsey, and Eleanor Roosevelt.
Training the Peace Corps
Thanks to grants from the U.S. State Department, Brandeis University was the training site for some of the earliest Peace Corps volunteers who worked in Bolivia and Columbia.