Inter-American Institutes

Abstract

SIXTY-SEVEN colleges and universities in the United States during the academic year I94243 presented special programs on interAmerican relations in co-operation with the Office of Inter-American Affairs. Originally designated as a series of lectures to be given by authorities in various fields relating to the other American republics, the programs were called variously lecture series, institutes, or conferences, depending upon the extent or duration of the proceedings or the interpretation which the college or university gave to its program. There were three aspects of the lecture series held during I943 which should be of particular interest to educators. The first was the relationship between a government agency and the independent educational institutions with which co-operative programs were carried out. The second was the high caliber and the marked success of the programs in spite of the heavy responsibilities which the war has put upon colleges and universities, the uncertainties of curriculum-planning even a few months ahead, and the loss of teaching staff. The third was the unusual variety and vitality of the programs presented in various parts of the country. Late in the summer of I942, letters were sent by the Co-ordinator to the presidents of 72 colleges and universities located in every state in the Union and representative of state, municipal, private, and denominational institutions. They were asked if they would be interested in developing an expanded interest in interAmerican affairs among educational institutions and the public generally. All but five of the invitations were accepted. Working arrangements were set up between the Co-ordinator's Office and the colleges, whereby the Coordinator of Inter-American Affairs supplied source material, guidance, and direction and the colleges took on the full load of program arrangement and community participation. The Co-ordinator's Office provided i6-mm. sound films on the other Americas, and furnished each institution with complete sample sets of inter-American teaching aids, informational pamphlets, and posters prepared or distributed by the Coordinator's Office, the United States Office of Education, and the PanAmerican Union.