John Sloan Dickey '29, a lawyer and diplomat, balanced two lifelong passions Dartmouth College and international affairs. As Dartmouth's twelfth president, from 1945 to 1970, he inspired thousands of students with his message that "every large problem today is, in truth, a world problem." An unapologetic advocate for the United Nations from its birth, he maintained that the United States' membership in the U.N. "represented the most momentous foreign policy commitment the nation had ever contemplated." He espoused closer ties with Canada and even taught a history seminar on U.S.-Canadian relations at Dartmouth.

Continuing and expanding his dynamic vision for Dartmouth in the world, The John Sloan Dickey Center for International Understanding was established 1982 to "coordinate, sustain and enrich the international dimension of liberal arts education at Dartmouth," as the College's Board of Trustees described its mission.

Student commitment to the world beyond Hanover is not in doubt. Sixty percent of Dartmouth students make time to study abroad, the highest in the Ivy League. And Dartmouth sends more volunteers into the Peace Corps than any other higher institution of its size. The Dickey Center builds on this commitment by offering an array of other opportunities, funding internships around the world for Dartmouth students, bringing to campus visitors of national and international stature to give public lectures and meet with students, and forging working partnerships in other countries, from Iceland to Tanzania, that involve not just the undergraduate College but also the Dartmouth Medical School, the Tuck School of Business and the Thayer School of Engineering.

"I am firmly convinced that the Dickey Center is a valuable resource for students to live the truths they believe in," reported Barry Hashimoto '06, Dickey International Intern in Tbilisi, Georgia.