Intercultural Communication Institute

Goals and Aims

The goal of the ICI is to nurture and promote understanding of and appreciation for international, domestic, and local cultural differences. The ultimate aims of this intercultural work are to reduce conflict between people of different cultures; inspire informed, culturally sensitive leadership; and foster understanding across the board.

The ICI offers two main courses of study: the Master of Arts in Intercultural Relations (MAIR), and the Intercultural Certificate Program through the Summer Institute. The MAIR is offered by the ICI as a more traditional graduate program with some residency requirements. The program was designed to give a specialized, intensive education in intercultural studies for people across a variety of professional disciplines.

The annual Summer Institute for Intercultural Communication (SIIC), designed to provide diversity-based professional development opportunities, is the shorter, more practical course of study offered by the ICI. The SIIC course of study is designed for teachers and other educational professionals, trainers, businesspeople, staff groups from businesses, and consultants, and is considered one of the best sources of education on intercultural communication.

The ICI bases its SIIC Summer Institute and MAIR coursework on the understanding that all professionals have an inherent moral duty to promote understanding and reduce conflict between people of different cultures by engaging in intercultural work. Therefore, the ICI sponsors the Summer Institute and master's program as part of its larger intercultural mission. It also offers the largest intercultural research library in the world, which boasts more than 30,000 volumes. Although the Summer Institute happens annually in July, these other programs are available throughout the year. The ICI also promotes a variety of professional growth activities, provides information, and refers interested parties to professionals who can assist them with their goals.

Students of the SIIC and MAIR choose from more than 40 focused workshops and seminars on a wide range of intercultural topics that also have broader corporate applications. The ICI spotlights diversity issues in each course, including conflict management, global leadership, training techniques, and corporate management. The summer program also features social activities daily and encourages honest, open interaction between participants.

Each cohort of SIIC fellows and MAIR students is made up of professionals from many different countries and from different areas within the United States. Workshops are tailored for intercultural trainers, human resource professionals, diversity trainers, and education professionals.

As technology allows increasing international cooperation in the workplace and migration patterns ensure that diverse groups continue to share workplaces, the mission of the ICI becomes even more relevant.