Center for International Understanding (University of North Carolina (System))

The Center for International Understanding of the University of North Carolina (System) was founded in 1979 through the efforts of North Carolina Governor James B. Hunt and First Lady Carolyn Hunt. It was known initially as the North Carolina Center for International Understanding (NCCIU). After it became affiliated with the national non-profit organization Friendship Force International (FFI), it was known as the Friendship Force of North Carolina. That affiliation ended in 1988. Though headquartered in Raleigh, N.C., the center has been administratively a part of the University of North Carolina (System) since its inception. Its mission has been to educate North Carolina's business, policy, and education leaders about the world and to foster greater global engagement on the part of the state. Its programs have included numerous international exchanges and partnerships. Since 2002, much of the center's activity has focused on building cultural competency among the state's K-12 students.

From the description of Center for International Understanding of the University of North Carolina (System) records, 1980-2007 (bulk 1988-2003). WorldCat record id: 774398788

The Center for International Understanding of the University of North Carolina (System) was founded in 1979 through the efforts of North Carolina Governor James B. Hunt and First Lady Carolyn Hunt. It was known initially as the North Carolina Center for International Understanding (NCCIU). After it became affiliated with the national non-profit organization Friendship Force International (FFI), it was known as the Friendship Force of North Carolina. That affiliation ended in 1988. Though headquartered in Raleigh, N.C., the center has been administratively a part of the University of North Carolina (System) since its inception. Its mission has been to educate North Carolina's business, policy, and education leaders about the world and to foster greater global engagement on the part of the state. Its programs have included numerous international exchanges and partnerships. Since 2002, much of the center's activity has focused on building cultural competency among the state's K-12 students.

In 1988, after its break with Friendship Force International, the center joined the national non-profit organization Youth for Understanding (YFU), through YFU's adult exchange program Citizens for Understanding (CFU). This relationship ended in 1991 when YFU discontinued the CFU program. In 1993, the Center for International Understanding created Citizens for International Understanding, Incorporated (CIU, Inc.), a non-profit 501(c)(2) organization that allowed the center's affiliated regional chapters to organize tax-exempt exchange programs. Over time, the board of directors of CIU, Inc., assumed greater control over the center's exchange activities and guided the parent organization's direction and activities.

From the guide to the Center for International Understanding of the University of North Carolina (System) Records, 1980-2007, (bulk 1988-2003), (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Library. University Archives.)