International House Berkeley

UC Berkeley's new Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost, Claude Steele, is a social pscyhologist with a celebrated career in higher education. His ground-breaking research on stereotypes is captured in his best-selling book Whistling Vivaldi: How Stereotypes Affect Us and What We Can Do. From 2009 to 2011 he served as provost at Columbia University, where he met UC Berkeley's new Chancellor, Nicholas Dirks. Steele was most recently Dean of the Graduate School of Education at Stanford. Chancellor Dirks, Chair of the I-House Board, has remarked: "When we talked about the position, Claude's most enthusiastic responses came from the fact that Berkeley was not just excellent but that it was also public." Says Steele: "is is where talented, motivated kids from anywhere can come and get the best education in the world." n 2 International House Times Executive Director's Message Hans C. Giesecke, Ph.D. Jason Patent Joins I-House Convening on ursday, March 6th, the I-House Board of Directors made a historic decision to undertake a major renovation of the I-House Dining Commons. is decision was reached after extensive study and analysis of the dining experience at I-House, during which the Board reaffirmed the centrality of the dining experience to the mission of I-House. e renovations will focus on enhancing the interactive process between dining staff and I-House residents and on creating a dining experience that fosters deeper and stronger relationships within the I-House community. ese steps have been initiated to enhance the overall I-House experience and build a stronger sense of community among and between the residents and staff. With many outstanding and competitive dining options available in Berkeley, the food served by I-House must be both delicious and distinctive enough to keep our residents pleased and, occasionally, surprised. In addition, we must be able to meet the dietary needs of vegans, vegetarians, and offer the diverse flavors of the many cultures we serve through our offering of a variety of dishes. Clearly, the dining environment is central to the enjoyment of the food. While I-House's Dining Commons is one-of-a- kind, it definitely needs sprucing up and modernization. We also want to bring more entertainment into the dining room and are planning to build a small stage at the south end of the East side hall to enable more mealtime performances. Moreover, the kitchen and servery areas can be made much more environmentally-friendly through the purchase of new equipment that uses far less water and offers a greater degree of hygiene. ese steps are all envisioned with one purpose in mind – to make the I-House dining experience positively unforgettable. More than anything, we want there to be more contact and communication among and between the dining staff and the residents. Since the I-House experience is fundamentally about relationships, we hope there will be many more opportunities for our residents to interact with those who are serving them. We believe that such contact will enhance the quality of the food because those preparing and serving will have a better opportunity to observe and understand what the residents actually like to eat. rough such interactivity, we trust that many lifetime connections will be formed that those who dine with us will cherish throughout their lives. What this all comes down to is more intercultural learning. When good food is shared and enjoyed with peers from around the world, something magical happens. Barriers break down and conversation flows. Individuals from diverse cultural traditions learn to understand one another's ways even more. And, through such understanding comes a greater sense of respect, friendship, and camaraderie–which are the hallmarks of the I-House experience. n Hans C. Giesecke, Executive Director I-House Dining Commons – The Nexus for Intercultural Learning On July 1, 2014, Jason Patent will join I-House as Director of the Center for Intercultural Leadership and I-House Chief of Operations. Together these new positions will enhance how programs and services are delivered to I-House residents, and will help build bridges to the UC Berkeley campus and beyond. Hans Giesecke says "Jason brings a wealth of academic, corporate and non-profit experience to this role and we are fortunate he has in-depth higher education service, scholarly credentials and broad in-country experience in his background as well." Jason has an undergraduate degree in East Asian Studies from Harvard, a Master's degree in the same field from Stanford University, and he completed an M.A. and a Ph.D. in Linguistics at UC Berkeley. Jason is known for his ability to teach and to find practical uses for theoretical concepts. He is committed to using his skills and experiences to foster understanding and successful collaboration among international populations. His previous professional roles include: American Co-Director of the Hopkins–Nanjing Center for Chinese and American Studies in Nanjing, China; Inaugural Director, Beijing Center, Stanford Bing Overseas Studies Program; Consultant at Gap International; Vice President, Communications & Marketing at Orchestrall, Inc. Welcome Claude Steele Jason Patent with 2014 IH Intercultural Leadership Initiative participants. For Q & A's with Claude Steele and Jason Patent, visit ihouse.berkeley.edu/bonus.

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