Wellesley College International Studies and Services
Slater International Center
(http://www.wellesley.edu/ISS/sic/sic.html)
Slater International Center
Given By Priscilla Allen Slater '16,
and Her Husband, Ellis Dwinnell Slater
"To Encourage Greater Understanding Among
All
Cultures Through Personal Association
And Cooperative Endeavor."
The purpose of the Center continues to be the advancement of the reality of
this principle
established by the Slaters, through all of the activities
of the Center.
Slater International Center and the Wellesley College Community
The Slater International Center is the focal point for international activities at Wellesley. Built in the late 1890s, as one of a cluster of classical society houses, the Slater Center is dedicated to the ideal of encouraging understanding "among cultures through personal association and cooperative endeavor". In the course of advancing this ideal, Slater's comfortable and elegant ambiance provides a meeting place for numerous and diverse activities of groups and individuals.
The Slater Center is the site for international dinners, parties and teas, lectures and seminars that the Center co-sponsors with academic departments, some foreign language department classes, an initial orientation program for international students coming to study at Wellesley, a series of international study informational programs for Wellesley students preparing to study outside of the United States, programs by campus organizations that have an interest in international affairs, watching international satellite television which is available over the Wellesley College campus video network, informal discussions among students, faculty, staff, and other members of the College community who want to share and learn about other countries and cultures, meetings and programs of several multicultural groups on campus, "global education" outreach programs for teachers and students from the public school systems of nineteen neighboring towns, others outside the college community interested in international and multicultural education, as well as many college community cultural events.
Membership in the Slater International Association is open to all Wellesley students, at no cost; members can use the Center to entertain, study, watch films, or simply cook something that reminds them of home.
The Center provides facilities for the offices of the Director of International Studies and Services and one of her assistants, a small collection of specialized global education and intercultural communication training books, space for organization meetings and projects, meetings of the Slater International Association, the Slater Exec. Board, and several affiliated groups.
The Slater International Center
The nearby Harambee House is the cultural and social center for the African-American community. The Continuing Education House is home base for Davis Scholars, students over 24 years old who are pursuing liberal arts degrees.
The Slater International Center and
International Studies and Services at Wellesley
The activities of the International Studies and Services Department, which has offices at the Slater International Center and the International Study Office, in Green Hall, Room 339 B-C, create opportunities to bring diverse groups and individuals together to work toward the goal set out by the Slaters in establishing the Center, "To Encourage Greater Understanding Among All Cultures Through Personal Association And Cooperative Endeavor."
Sylvia Hiestand, the Director of the Slater International Center, and the Director of International Studies and Services at Wellesley, together with her assistants, Susan Coburn, at the Slater Center, and Harriet Cole, in the International Study Office, work together to create services and an environment that will promote the goal for which the Center was established. Among the services provided by the International Studies and Services Department are:
- the orientation program for international students coming to study at Wellesley,
- the alumna hostess program for international students coming to study at Wellesley,
- assistance to international students, international faculty and Academic Department Chairs with immigration law compliance,
- personal counseling,
- vacation and travel assistance,
- specialized career and immigration law compliance information,
- the International Study Office services, for Wellesley students preparing to study, and studying, outside of the United States,
The staff of the Center works with other departments to familiarize international and multicultural students with the variety of student services offered by the College; services such as personal and academic advising, health services, personal counseling services, financial aid, student aid, and career and internship opportunities to name a few. For more comprehensive lists of services for students, please refer to Office of the Dean of Students Home Page and the Especially for Wellesley Students page.
Sylvia Hiestand is the Director of Slater International Center, the Advisor to International Students, and the advisor to the Slater International Association. After serving in these positions for several years, she was given the additional responsibilities of International Study Advisor (the advisor to Wellesley students studying outside the United States), responsibility for the International Study Office (formerly, "Study Abroad"), and was named Director of International Studies and Services (ISS).
The broad responsibilities which resulted from the re-unification of Wellesley's services to international students as the International Studies and Services Department, has created opportunities that Sylvia and her staff use to bring together culturally diverse groups of students, faculty and staff at the Slater Center. Since she is the advisor to all Wellesley international students; international students "inbound" to Wellesley, and international students "outbound" from Wellesley (the latter are "international students" in the countries in which they study and travel), one of Sylvia's goals is to bring inbound and outbound international students together in a mutual mentoring program. In addition to the near-term benefits to both groups, she hopes the approach will enhance the long-term friendships and cooperation of Wellesley students around the world. The Slater Center provides the central focus for this project.
Although initially the Slater Center was predominantly international in
orientation, the Slater Center staff has taken the opportunity to pursue the
goal "To Encourage Greater Understanding Among All Cultures Through Personal
Association And Cooperative Endeavor." by encouraging multicultural groups at
the College to use the Center. In addition to serving as the advisor to
international students, incoming and outgoing, when multicultural groups began
to be organized at Wellesley, Sylvia organized and was the advisor to the
Multicultural Council. To
see the energy and diversity of student groups at Wellesley, and to become
active in the groups of interest to you, look at
the Especially for
Wellesley Students page, the
Wellesley College
Student Organization Home Pages, the
to contact a
student organization voicemail box page, the
Organizations,
Presidents and Voicemail (restricted access) page, and for the various
calendar pages available on CWIS, you may want to try the links collected on the
Calendars and
Announcements page.
Student Organizations Which Make Slater Center An
Interesting Place
African Awareness
Now,
Alianza,
Al Muslimat,
Amnesty
International,
Asian Student
Union,
Alliance for
Success or Social Change,
Caribbean Students
Association,
Chinese Student Association
(CSA),
Club Filipino,
Common
Ground,
Ethos,
Hellenic Society,
Hillel,
Japan Club,
Korean American
Students' Association (KASA),
Mezcla,
Middle East
Students Association,
Multicultural
Council,
Native Americans at
Wellesley,
Russian Club,
Slater International
Association,
South East Asian
Association,
Vietnamese Students
Association,
Wellesley
Association of South Asian Cultures (WASAC),
Wellesley Asian
Alliance,
and Wellesley
Lesbians, Bisexuals, & Friends, and
Wellesley Women in
Development.
If you have an interest in international or multicultural
activities,
or you simply have never come to the Slater International
Center,
we hope that you will visit us soon.
| Sylvia S. Hiestand, | Director of International Studies and Services | |||
| Director of Slater International Center | ||||
| Advisor to International Students | ||||
| International Study Advisor |
| Telephone: 781-283-2320 | Email: (shiestand@wellesley.edu) | FAX: 781-283-3541 | ||
| Office hours | (*except when in International Study Office) | |||
| Slater International Center* | Monday - Friday | 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. | ||
| International Study Office | Mondays (drop-ins) | 2:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. | ||
| International Study Office | Tuesdays and Fridays (appointments) | 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. |
| Susan M. Coburn, | Assistant to the Director of International Studies and Services |
| Telephone: 781-283-2082 | Email: (scoburn@wellesley.edu) | FAX: 781-283-3541 | ||
| Slater International Center | Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday | 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. | ||
| Wednesday | 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. |
| | | | |
| | | |
| | | |
| | | |
| | | |
| |
