An Unexpected Model for Education in the Age of Polarization

How a small residence in New York City created a transformative educational experience

“International House was my best experience while living in NYC, much better than my studies at Columbia University…”

What kind of institution could possibly provide a better learning experience than one of the most prestigious and well-resourced universities in the world?

We spent the last three years studying the culture of International House and believe it offers a model for how to create community and encourage dialogue across lines of difference. As any team, organization, or business knows, curating culture is key. Yet the culture that many places have created is one which makes difference a dirty word.

Just a few blocks north of Columbia University, in the Morningside Heights neighborhood of Manhattan, sits International House. Founded over 100 years ago, International House–affectionately known as I-House by its residents–was the first global community of its kind.

More than a residency program and housing, it provided graduate students and young professionals from around the wor…