Support the IHRC

The IHRC welcomes support in many forms from people of all walks of life. Immigrants and their descendants, migration scholars, and community organizations collecting the history of immigrants have provided the IHRC with a rich foundation of archival materials. The IHRC plans to continue collecting in the future, but the Center will not be able to accept donations of material during 2008. The IHRC staff are undertaking processing projects during 2008 and for the next several years in order to compact and make more accessible its collections. We regret that we are unable to accept new or supplemental materials until we have adjusted our current capacity. Please contact the IHRC’s Program Director to gain advice about how to manage your materials until they can be assessed and an appropriate holding place arranged. The IHRC will be conducting archival workshops to connect ethnic organizations and individuals to archival specialists and resources to help ensure the preservation of important immigration and ethnic history materials

In 2006, after responding to a challenge grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), the University of Minnesota ended a six-year fund raising campaign to support the IHRC. The campaign fell short of its goal but still raised 1.2 million dollars that were then matched by an additional $300,000 from the NEH. The campaign resulted in two fully-funded graduate student fellowships and endowments to support special IHRC collections that document the histories of a number of immigrant and ethnic groups.

Fundraising continues, and the IHRC’s highest priority for financial support is The Rudolph Vecoli Endowed Chair in Immigration History Research. The completion of this endowment fund will ensure dynamic leadership and research support the internationally respected, community-grounded research, teaching, and public service for which the IHRC is internationally known. Named in honor of the IHRC’s long-time former director Rudolf J. Vecoli, the professorship supports IHRC lectures series, seminars, special research projects, and conferences. Help us assure the future of this professorship and to honor Professor Vecoli by contributing online or by sending your donation by check to IHRC, 311 Andersen Library, 222-21^st Ave S., Minneapolis, MN 55455.