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Japan International Christian University Foundation, Inc. Records, 1911-2011

Abstract Or Scope

The records primarily document the operations and policies of the Japan International Christian University Foundation (JICUF) and also include documents generated by or descriptive of the International Christian University (ICU) itself. The collection provides valuable evidence about the university as well as the cooperation between Japanese and American Christians that led to its creation and success. Of interest is documentation of JICUF as a church-related non-profit support agency, particularly the role of women in its work. Discussions to establish a Christian college in Japan began in 1945, only months after the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. In 1948, the original committee was dissolved into a legal foundation, the Japan Christian University Foundation, Inc., which provided significant early publicity and financial support, distributing academic materials, sponsoring Western faculty members and, later, coordinating alumni activities. In 1949, the constitution of the ICU was adopted and the first freshman class was admitted four years later. In 1957, the first graduate school, the School of Education, was opened. By the 1990s, ICU was a highly distinguished university with more than 2,000 students. Due to declining contributions, an increasingly large operations deficit, and related changes in its relationship with the university, JICUF closed its New York offices in 1991. The organization would have no offices or staff for five years and a minimal board of six members. The Othmer bequests in 1995 and 1998 as well as the university's 50th anniversary fundraising project revitalized JICUF activity and a new office in New York was opened in 1997. Between 1999 and 2001 JICUF was restructured into a program organization (The Japan ICU Foundation, Inc.) and an endowment organization (The JICUF Endowment, Inc.).

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