An interview with Dr. Milton J. Esman, John S. Knight Professor of International Studies, Emeritus and Professor of Government, Emeritus. This 30 minute conversation between Dr. Esman and Royal Colle in 2006 explores the emergence of a formal university-wide program focused on various international issues. Professor Esman served as director of the Center for International Studies for 14 years from 1969-1983. He discusses the rise of various international initiatives at Cornell such as the South Asia Program, the Institute for European Studies, and the Institute for African Development. He discusses how the “labor of love” of many Cornell faculty members has contributed to building a global dimension to the university’s stature and some the challenges that such an effort encountered. Along with addressing the activities of some Cornell faculty members and graduates in international organizations such as the World Bank, Esman describes his involvement in helping the Malaysian government develop its public administration, and his own work in addressing issues of ethnic pluralism and ethnic conflict. Throughout, but particularly in the conclusion, he answers the question: “why do it”?