Eleanor Roosevelt College - History

History

Preparations to add a fifth college to UCSD began in 1985 when its Preliminary Planning Committee was formed. The Committee's report recommended a college focused on comparative culture studies and was approved by the Academic Senate in May 1986. In March 1987, James Lyon was appointed as Founding Provost of Fifth College (UCSD's colleges use a numeric name until a proper name is chosen). In 1988, Fifth College formally accepted its first class and opened using the "Camp Snoopy" residence halls in the Pepper Canyon area of campus. Many originally suggested that the college be named "International College" in light of its cross-cultural emphasis. Fifth College was officially named Eleanor Roosevelt College in a dedication ceremony on January 26, 1995, beating out over sixty other suggestions including Amelia Earhart, Cesar Chavez, and Marie Curie, making it the first UCSD college to be named after a woman and the only college in the United States to be named for Eleanor Roosevelt.

As it was founded in the final declining years of the Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union, the college reflects the time and era in which it was built. Roosevelt was designed to move away from the strict "Us vs. Them" worldview that characterized much of 20th century political thought in hopes of creating a concept of global community and international cooperation. The college's motto is "Developing World Citizens Through Scholarship, Leadership, and Service," and it seeks to make that concept a reality by encouraging its students to think globally and interact on an international rather than local level. Its logo summarizes its emphasis as "International education and universal human rights."