A dedicated scholar, educator, and lifelong learner, Dr. Janet M. Bennett amassed the intercultural field’s most comprehensive resource library, including while she led the Intercultural Communication Institute (ICI) for over 30 years. Janet recognized that the field of intercultural communication was built through the work of many individuals over time. One of her favorite sayings was, “We stand on the shoulders of giants.” It was Janet’s fervent wish that the Institute’s collection of more than 35,000 books, original papers, training materials, and multimedia treasures continue to serve researchers and practitioners worldwide following the ICI’s closing in 2019 and her passing in early 2022. So that this exceptional collection may continue to serve new and future generations while evolving to accommodate emerging needs, it has been reconceptualized with the aim of digitizing and distributing it internationally as the Janet M. Bennett Intercultural Library. Newly established, the Janet M. Bennett Intercultural Library is run by a voluntary Consortium of four organizations, each dedicated to furthering the Intercultural Communication field. These are: An overview of current Library activities and upcoming plans is below. All those interested in benefiting from the Library and/or joining the Consortium are warmly invited to contact Library co-leads, Dr. Kris Acheson-Clair (Purdue) and Melissa Liles (IDD), via email at info[at]interculturallibrary.org or by completing the Contact Us & Stay Informed form below.Forward-facing Legacy
About the Library
Janet M. Bennett, PhD
Dedicated to the conviction that intercultural competence is vital to our personal and professional lives, and that through intercultural communication “we can honor the worldviews of others, enhance our creativity, and maximize our productivity and learning,” Dr. Janet M. Bennett was a lifelong champion of the art and science of perspective-taking.
Janet Marie Bennett (née Bartholomay) was born Sept. 17, 1945, in Chicago, Illinois (US), and died Jan. 27, 2022, in Portland, Oregon (US).
A lifelong learner, her education included:
- B.A., California State University, San Francisco, double major in Psychology and Journalism, 1972;
- M.A., Univ. of Minnesota, Speech Communication with emphasis in intercultural and organizational communication, 1976;
- Ph.D., Univ. of Minnesota, Speech Communication with emphasis in intercultural and organizational communication and anthropology, 1985.
Janet initiated her career goal of “honoring the worldview of others” by serving in the Peace Corps in Truk, Micronesia.
Janet formally entered into the field of education as a scholar and a practitioner. In the 1980s, Janet created and chaired the liberal arts division at Marylhurst College (US), creating award-winning interdisciplinary programs for adult learners.
In 1987, the Stanford Institute for Intercultural Communication (SIIC) moved from California to Portland, Ore. (US), under the auspices of the Intercultural Communication Institute, of which Janet was the Executive Director.
Renamed the Summer Institute for Intercultural Communication, Janet nurtured and developed SIIC for over 30 years, providing intercultural training and development for thousands of individuals.
Janet authored and edited numerous publications, and was especially proud of the two-volume SAGE Encyclopedia of Intercultural Competence (2015).
In addition to the Janet M. Bennett Intercultural Library, Janet leaves behind a generation of interculturalists around the world who have been inspired by her grace, vision, generosity, and wisdom.
Information cited (with adaptations) with thanks from Janet’s obituary as published in The Oregonian in July 2022.
A dedicated scholar, educator, and lifelong learner, Dr. Janet M. Bennett amassed the intercultural field’s most comprehensive resource library, including while she led the Intercultural Communication Institute (ICI) for over 30 years. Janet recognized that the field of intercultural communication was built through the work of many individuals over time. One of her favorite sayings was, “We stand on the shoulders of giants.” It was Janet’s fervent wish that the Institute’s collection of more than 35,000 books, original papers, training materials, and multimedia treasures continue to serve researchers and practitioners worldwide following the ICI’s closing in 2019 and her passing in early 2022. So that this exceptional collection may continue to serve new and future generations while evolving to accommodate emerging needs, it has been reconceptualized with the aim of digitizing and distributing it internationally as the Janet M. Bennett Intercultural Library. Newly established, the Janet M. Bennett Intercultural Library is run by a voluntary Consortium of four organizations, each dedicated to furthering the Intercultural Communication field. These are: An overview of current Library activities and upcoming plans is below. All those interested in benefiting from the Library and/or joining the Consortium are warmly invited to contact Library co-leads, Dr. Kris Acheson-Clair (Purdue) and Melissa Liles (IDD), via email at info[at]interculturallibrary.org or by completing the Contact Us & Stay Informed form below.Forward-facing Legacy
About the Library