International Center of the Capital Region Celebrates Grand Reopening on Hudson Valley Community College Campus

November 18, 2021

The International Center of the Capital Region (ICCR) today celebrated its relocation to Hudson Valley Community College with leaders from Hudson Valley, ICCR, local elected officials, and Aneesa Waheed, owner of Tara Kitchen, as the event’s keynote speaker. After the speaking program, attendees participated in round table discussions focusing on fund development, community engagement, and the speakers’ bureau and local resources.

ICCR is a nonprofit organization founded in 1956 that promotes cultural understanding among others by welcoming international leaders and dynamic newcomers to the Capital Region. After being headquartered in various locations around the region since its founding, Hudson Valley Community College has offered to host the organization permanently on campus in the Fitzgibbons Health Technologies Center, which is a space shared with the college’s Office of Global Initiatives.

Educating the greater community and having a positive global impact are essential parts of both the college’s and ICCR’s missions, making this an intuitive and mutually beneficial partnership.

“Hudson Valley Community College is proud to have the International Center of the Capital Region here on our campus,” said Hudson Valley Community College President Dr. Roger Ramsammy. “Expanding international outreach is an important priority for the college, and working with ICCR provides an excellent way to create mutually beneficial opportunities as we look to the future and continue to serve an increasingly global community.”

“Although COVID has interrupted ICCR’s decades of welcoming international visitors to the Capital Region, we are excited about the partnership with HVCC as we prepare to make global connections again,” said ICCR Board President Mike O’Brien.

“The International Center of the Capital Region is one of 84 organizations throughout the country who host IVLP participants and plan their key professional meetings. IVLP exchange participants not only gain professional contacts and knowledge, but, just as importantly, they participate in cultural and social experiences that provide exposure to American values,” said, US State Department Director of Office of International Visitors Anne Grimes. “I am thrilled that you are able to hold this reopening event and I extend my appreciation to the Hudson Valley Community College for their support. We are grateful to be able to count the International Center of the Capital Region among our valued partners.”

“The ICCR does vital work to help immigrants integrate into their new communities and to welcome a diverse array of global leaders to the Capital Region,” said U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand. “Their efforts foster cultural understanding and engagement throughout the state and I am proud to support the International Center of the Capital Region as they enter their next chapter.”

“It has been my absolute pleasure to work with the International Center of the Capital Region for the past several decades,” said New York State Senator Neil D. Breslin. “Through their efforts, I have been able to connect with citizen leaders from the Balkans, Pakistan, Mexico, Liberia, and Kosovo, just to name a few. I am happy that the ICCR now has a permanent home at Hudson Valley Community College. I believe this will be a mutually beneficial pairing and I look forward to continuing to work with them and further engage in cultural exchange and understanding.”

"Congratulations to the International Center of the Capital Region on this new partnership with Hudson Valley Community College,” said Assemblymember John T. McDonald III. “As we strive to be global citizens and understand the world around us, especially learning from others whose backgrounds may not be like our own, the ICCR is committed to fostering cultural understanding and engagement in international affairs. Thank you to HVCC for providing a new home for this organization; it is a great fit, joining it with the college's Office of Global Initiatives. Thank you to all who made the partnership possible. I look forward to seeing what comes from this new joint venture."

With a diverse background of service, ICCR’s mission shifted in 2005 to focus on outreach, educational, and advocacy activities. The Center serves its local and global communities hosting international visitors to the region (as the region’s officially designated member of the National Council for International Visitors – NCIV), convening educational exchanges and symposia, fostering dialogue on the contributions, opportunities and challenges presented the global economy, and advocating for greater appreciation and understanding of the international community in the greater Capital Region.

This event was made possible in part by media sponsorship with the Times Union.