Center for Professional Excellence

Intercultural Education

To promote appreciation of others, the CPE sponsors intercultural retreats, intercultural workshops and leadership training. Elmhurst guestships bring renowned scholars to campus, and our series, such as the popular American Images series, expose students to a variety of ethnic histories. We enjoy creating formal and informal opportunities for students, faculty and the greater community to learn from each other’s differences.

The intercultural education program helps students and faculty understand and celebrate the human differences that are critical to the success of both individuals and communities. As a key component of the College’s mission and core values, intercultural education helps to prepare students and faculty “for meaningful and ethical work in a multicultural, global society.”

Intercultural education provides leadership in advancing the organizational and individual understanding of diversity and multiculturalism on campus. The primary responsibility of the office is to provide assistance to students and faculty in addressing multicultural, intercultural and global issues.

The intercultural education program is also responsible for organizing the College’s four annual guestships:

• César Chávez Guestship. Established in 1996, the Cesar Chavez Guestship is held each fall to coincide with Hispanic Heritage Month and is part of the College’s Hispanic Heritage Celebration.
• LGBT Guestship. Established in 2008, the youngest of the College’s guestships is held each fall to coincide with National Coming Out Day and is part of the College’s commitment to the history, issues and life stories of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community.
•  Martin Luther King, Jr. Guestship. Established in 1993, the Martin Luther King Jr., Guestship is held each Spring to coincide with Black History Month and is part of the College’s annual Celebration of Black Heritage.
•  Genevieve Staudt Guestship. Established in 2002, the Genevieve Staudt Guestship is held each spring to coincide with Women’s History Month and is part of the College’s Women’s History Celebration.

The College's Office of Intercultural Student Affairs also promotes an appreciation of diversity through an array of programs and activities. And for students who are interested in the academic study of diversity issues, the College's intercultural studies program offers a major as well as a minor.

For more information on the CPE's intercultural programming, please contact Russell Ford at (630) 617-3104.