Eleanor Roosevelt College: A Legacy of Scholarship, Leadership, and Service

Eleanor Roosevelt College (ERC) at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD), stands as a testament to the enduring legacy of Eleanor Roosevelt, the author of the 1948 Declaration of Universal Human Rights. Founded in 1988, ERC embodies her spirit through its motto: "Scholarship, Leadership, and Service," shaping students into engaged global citizens. ERC is committed to deepening human connections by exploring the evolution of our global world.

The College System at UC San Diego

The college system at UC San Diego combines the intimacy of a small institution with the intellectual breadth and resources of a large research university. ERC is one of eight undergraduate colleges at the University of California, San Diego. ERC currently has 5,000 undergraduate students enrolled in all majors at UCSD. Like all UCSD colleges, ERC is led by a provost, who is a faculty member appointed to oversee the college for a five-year term. The provost is the highest academic officer in the college and oversees its organizational structure, which includes academic advising and student affairs, residence life, and an academic program (the Making of the Modern World).

A Commitment to Global Citizenship

ERC distinguishes itself through a passionate commitment to developing world citizens through scholarship, leadership, and service. This commitment is reflected in various aspects of the college, from its academic programs to its residential life and extracurricular activities.

Making of the Modern World (MMW)

The core of ERC's academic experience is the Making of the Modern World (MMW) program. Founded in 1988, MMW is a five-course, lower-division sequence (MMW11 - MMW15) for students entering as freshmen and a two-course, upper-division sequence (MMW121 - MMW122) for transfer students. MMW is taught by departmental faculty in the Division of Arts and Humanities and the Division of Social Sciences as well as by faculty appointed directly to MMW. MMW is taught every quarter during the academic year and in summer and is offered both on campus and abroad on Global Seminars.

Minors Offered at ERC

ERC offers several minors that complement its focus on global citizenship:

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The Human Rights and Migration Minor: This minor encourages students to treat human rights and migration as both intellectual and practical questions, preparing them for careers in research, public policy, NGOs, government agencies, or law. Students address critical questions: What sorts of rights do citizens, migrants, and refugees deserve? Where do rights come from-from political communities like the nation-state or from universal understandings of humanity? Who counts as a human deserving of rights? How are human rights different from citizenship rights? The unique research and writing opportunities offered by this minor also make it an excellent preparation for graduate school. The Mexican Migration Field Research Program and AIP 197 are options for Track B of the minor.
The ERC Special Minor: This minor allows ERC students with a particular interest in one geographic region to gain familiarity with a language and academic topics relevant to the region, overlapping with the Regional Specialization general education requirement at ERC.
The South Asian Studies Minor: Although it is administered by Eleanor Roosevelt College, it is available to all UC San Diego undergraduate students considering careers related to South Asia or those with a general interest in South Asia. By approaching this region-which includes the countries of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka-from diverse perspectives, the South Asian studies minor allows students to integrate a regional specialization into their program of study. The purpose of this minor is to understand the interconnectedness of the world and the position of South Asia in multiple nodes of connection. Students should consult an academic adviser at their college to determine how the South Asian studies minor can best meet their college graduation requirements. Minor declarations must be made online using the TritonLink major and minor application.

First Year Experience

ERC offers First Year Experience courses for incoming first-quarter students. These courses are designed for new students at UC San Diego and provide critical skills and valuable resources to facilitate engagement and foster academic success and personal enrichment. These are 2-credit courses with one hour of faculty-led lecture and one hour of student-led discussion section each week. These ERC courses are taught by the Making of the Modern World Program faculty and sections are led by undergraduate discussion leaders who have received specialized training.

Honors Programs

First year students who hold exceptional high school GPAs and who received a high score on the SAT/ACT are invited to participate in the ERC First Year Honors Seminar. Second year students with a GPA of 3.5+ and who have completed three of the five courses in the MMW sequence are invited to participate in the ERC Sophomore Honors Project. Students take on a research project with the assistance of a professor.

Residential Life

The residential facilities are named after global regions and seek to integrate the philosophy of the college into their design. The residence halls are on the western side of the ERC Green. Middle Earth, a common lounge, sits in front of the Earth Hall North and South apartment buildings, which are on the eastern side of the Green. Café Ventanas, ERC's dining hall, is on north side of the Green.

ERC hosts three Living Learning Communities (LLCs).

International House

Faculty and post-graduate visitors can live in fourth-floor furnished apartments inside of I-House. They are called Visiting Scholar Bridge-unit Apartments, as the units act as bridges between the two sides of the apartment building.

Student Organizations

ERC boasts a diverse array of student organizations that cater to various interests and passions:

Community Outreach Effort (CORE) does volunteer work in the San Diego community.
Planning Activities at Raza LLC (PaRa) represents students living in the Raza LLC.
Planning Events at Roosevelt College (PERC) hosts social events for ERC residents.
International Studies Student Association (ISSA) is made up of students majoring/minoring in International Studies. Members can gain help from and make connections with International Studies alumni through the organization.
Model United Nations (MUN) prepares students for diplomatic careers by simulating international conflicts. Students can participate on the "logistical team," planning MUN's annual TritonMUN and SanDiMUN conferences.
Members of Refugee Connections volunteer in refugee communities and raise awareness for issues affecting refugees. The organization also fundraises in order to support its costs, with its biggest event being the Culture Cap soccer tournament.
Roteract at UCSD is a youth chapter of Rotary International. Roteract makes Water Pasteurization Indicators (WAPIs) to be sent to developing countries, and serves in the local community.

Traditions and Events

ERC has a rich tapestry of traditions and events that foster community and celebrate its unique identity:

During the first week of the quarter, ERC hosts/promotes several Welcome Week events, designed to allow new students to become familiar with the campus and make friends. One of these events is the UnOlympics, a competition between the eight UCSD colleges.
During Spirit Week in winter quarter, ERC is decorated in blue and gold, the school colors.
Rock 'n' Roosevelt is a free concert held on the ERC Green during winter quarter.
During spring break, a group of ERC students travel and participate in a service project in another country. Students apply for the program in the fall, fundraise in the winter, and complete the trip during spring break. This is called BreakAway Global Service, or BAGS, and is sponsored by one of ERC's student organizations, Community Outreach Effort (CORE).
In the last week of the quarter, Eleanor Roosevelt College hosts the MMW Blowout, a celebration of students' work in the college's general education sequence Making of the Modern World (MMW). The MMW Blowout is set up like a carnival, and features games and free food. One of the games at the MMW Blowout is a dunk tank, with MMW professors and teaching assistants sitting in the tank.
A Recognition Banquet is hosted at the end of the year to honor student leaders and organizers.
The Saturday before finals week at midnight, students from Eleanor Roosevelt College stand outside of their dorms/apartments and scream.
The International Friday Café takes place in the Great Hall every week. A different type of cuisine is featured every time.
Global Forums are hosted every Wednesday evening of the academic year in the Great Hall. Global Forums feature experts in a field speaking about a particular issue, and may include a discussion.
I-HeART follows a similar structure to the Global Forum, in which experts speak about an issue to an audience.
The Language Conversation Tables allow students, staff, and the public to practice conversational language skills with a fluent speaker of a language. The schedule for the Language Conversation Tables changes quarterly, though it usually take place on multiple nights of the week, with different languages being featured on different nights.
Sunday Supper is held once quarterly during the evening.
I-Plus is the umbrella term for events hosted/sponsored by I-House not included among their usual program (Global Forums, IHeART, Language Conversation Tables, Sunday Supper, Slice of America).

Acknowledging the Past, Embracing the Future

Eleanor Roosevelt College’s mission is to deepen human connections by exploring the evolution of our global world. We recognize that the College’s mission can only be sustained in a context of transparency, reconciliation and honesty. This statement therefore acknowledge that the college and University are historically connected to the oppression of the indigenous people in what is now California and Mexico.

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