Deciding that there was need for an ongoing inter-campus mechanism to allow institutional representatives to confer and coordinate support for international education in the region, a group of educators formed The Southern California Consortium on International Studies (SOCCIS) in 1972. SOCCIS is a voluntary association of public and private colleges and universities that coordinates and shares resources to further international studies in Southern California. The first SOCCIS Steering Committee included representatives from USC, the CSUC System, UC EAP, Occidental College, the Claremont Graduate School, and UCLA. Since its inception, the SOCCIS Executive Office has been headquartered at UCLA, with Carlos Manuel Haro, Assistant Dean of International Studies and Overseas Programs, serving as consortium Executive Officer since 1984. Membership currently stands at nineteen institutions. Each member contributes resources for SOCCIS-sponsored programs. SOCCIS associates include:
California State University System: Dominguez Hills, Fullerton, Long Beach, Los Angeles, Northridge, Pomona, San Bernardino, and San Diego.
Private Universities and Colleges: Loyola Marymount, Occidental College, Pepperdine University, University of Judaism, University of Southern California, Whittier College.
University of California: Los Angeles, Santa Barbara
Two-Year Colleges: South Orange County Community College District, Santa Monica College, California Colleges for International Education (a consortium of California Community Colleges)
Thirty years after the consortium's founding, SOCCIS continues to strengthen institutional commitments to both international and area studies in Southern California through the various activities it facilitates and sponsors. SOCCIS actively advances the network of international education administrators and faculty in the region. It also encourages institutional and faculty commitments to an "internationalized" curriculum. In addition, the consortium provides the means by which to enhance faculty teaching capabilities in international and area studies through seminars, workshops, and summer institutes. Most of these activities are open to the general public. In keeping with its mission and goals, SOCCIS supports statewide and national efforts to strengthen international and area studies. Finally, SOCCIS works to improve the level of public awareness and understanding of diverse peoples, other cultures, and international events.
Please refer to the SOCCIS web site www.isop.ucla.edu/soccis for expanded information on the consortium. Additional reporting on SOCCIS is available at the ISOP web site, www.isop.ucla.edu, by clicking on Outreach, and scrolling to the bottom to click on the following link: SOCCIS LAUNCHES PROGRAM IN CUBA AS IT MARKS 3 DECADES OF INTERCAMPUS PARTNERSHIP.