Happy 78th Birthday to FIUTS!

In 1948, a group of community leaders decided that international students in our region deserved a place to belong; not as visitors, but as members of our community with something important to offer. FIUTS was incorporated on August 28, and 78 years later, FIUTS is still here, welcoming new friends, making space for discovery, and connecting people to each other and to our region.

A lot has changed, especially in the last few years. But through all of it, FIUTS has kept showing up for students who are far from home, creating opportunities that go beyond the classroom, and building the kind of community that lasts long after the visa expires.

That's the whole idea behind our annual campaign theme this year: 前人栽树，后人乘凉 "One generation plants the trees; the next enjoys their shade."

Our founders planted something special, and so many people have worked hard to keep it growing. Wednesday Lunch. Homestay weeks. CulturalFest. Hiking trips, site visits, ferry rides, leadership workshops, potlucks from every corner of the world. Hundreds of thousands of students, hosts, volunteers, staff — and so many of those connections are still going strong.

So here's our birthday ask: tag a FIUTS friend from back in “your day”. Share this post with the people who were there for your Wednesday Lunch, your homestay family, your CulturalFest performance, your leadership workshops. Reconnect and check in with the people you met here, whether it was 45 years ago or just last month. The priceless friendships you made here are exactly what we're celebrating today.

And if you can, make a gift in honor of those connections, as we work to reach 400 donors in this year’s annual campaign, laying the groundwork for future generations.

Here's to 78 years, and many more.