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Membership
- Our Goal
- RIC Welcomes Internationals
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RIC brings Rochesterians together with international students and visitors to create friendships, promote international understanding, and enhance the quality of life for our participants and the community.
RIC is a nonprofit organization, whose activities are nonsectarian and nonpolitical in content.
In the words of a former RIC student, now a professor at SUNY Stony Brook...
| After high school graduation, I left home and my family for the first time for a journey that has changed my life. I came to America to pursue a college education.
The adaptation process was not easy. There were many times that I just wanted to go home. The RIC staff and my host family were my source of strength at the time. She (the friendship volunteer) induced a sense of family in this continent. I sometimes felt alone and frightened, but knowing her changed this feeling because, then I know, I have someone to turn to, someone who cares and I can trust. It helped me concentrate on my academic work and eventually the completion of my doctoral thesis. I cannot stress enough how beneficial it was for a foreign student to have a friendship family. |
RIC members, through their roles as hosts and volunteers, reach out each day to embrace friends from all over the world, building international relations into international understanding.
More than 2,600 international students from over 97 different countries study at Rochester area colleges. Many wish to get to know Americans on a personal basis.
RIC's community volunteers, called Friendship Volunteers, include the students in their everyday activities: having them for dinner, visiting a museum, shopping or participating in out-door activities. The extent of involvement is dependent on the student and the host.
The students, who live on campus, don't need us to do things for them, they need us to do things with them.
Each year, more students request American hosts than RIC is able to provide.
RIC works closely with the International Student Offices at the local colleges to provide quality programs and experiences for the student.
In the coming years, one-third to one-half of the world's top positions in politics, business, education, and military will be filled by international students who have attended American colleges and universities. You can influence the world. Go out and make an international friend!
Through the Friendship Volunteer program, RIC provides services that enhance the experience of international university students studying in Rochester.
Our Global Perspectives program allows international students to share their cultures in area K-12 classrooms.
Group meetings for International Wives of students are held on the RIT and UR campuses to assist in their adjustment to America and to provide social interaction.
The United States Department of State has designated RIC as an official Center for International Visitors. Outstanding internationals from a variety of professions and businesses visit the US for professional development. RIC coordinates the visits of these specialists to Rochester area organizations, businesses and government.
Join Us!
Your membership is the beginning of new opportunities for you.
Rochester International Council
Morey Hall, Room 229, University of Rochester Rochester, NY 14627 USA
phone (585) 275-8779 fax (585) 756-8086 e-mail: jw@rifc.org
Office Hours: 10:30 am to 5:00 pm Eastern Time, Monday-Friday,
closed Thursday