Orco Development
About Orco Development
Orco Development is a non-accredited college level course that was established in the early 1980's. Rather than depending on standard text books, the course is taught in conjunction with speaking to actual participants of the events being studied. Filmmakers, military veterans, politicians, etc. have all participated in the program. For over 25 years, Orco Development has built an extensive audio & video archive based on these participant's conversations with lead educator Alan Greenberg and other educators, with well over 1,000 interviews ranging in length from 15 minutes to several hours.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: When and how did the Program start?
After becoming friends in the early 1970's, Alan Greenberg & the late filmmaker Frank Capra happened upon a group of Japanese foreign exchange students. After a polite & friendly conversation, both men realized that the Japanese students had an incomplete historical view of the United States. Mr. Greenberg and Mr. Capra agreed that there should be an entity which engages foreign-born college students, and teaches them about American culture, history, politics, etc. Frank Capra suggested it would be best for Mr. Greenberg to teach the course, after watching him conduct seminars on Real Estate & Finance. They also concluded it would be best to keep the course free and non-accredited, so as to only attract students who were sincerely curious about the subjects being studied.
Q: How did the program attract such prominent participants?
Thanks in large part to Director Frank Capra's legendary reputation, the program began attracting notable individuals from the world of film and quickly branched out from there.
Q: How do the students learn from the interviewees?
Typically the students are asked to do research on a particular individual and submit their questions to Mr. Greenberg, who then edits and narrows them down. Eventually the questions are asked through an interview conducted by Mr. Greenberg, sometimes in-person, but usually over the phone. The answers are then relayed back to the students.
Q: Is Orco Development part of any accredited colleges or universities?
No, Orco Development is not directly associated with any college or university.
The program was created soley as a service to the community to help foreign-
born students understand American film, politics, and the military. The idea being the student's curiosity would be the primary motivation for attending the program.
University of California President. First Chancellor at UC Berkeley. As President of the UC School System Clark Kerr created a model of education that expanded opportunities for students across the United States.
Chairman of the Senate Watergate Committee that led to the resignation of President Richard Nixon, who had previously appointed him to investigate Senator Joe McCarthy.
Superintendent of West Point. Staff Secretary to President Dwight D. Eisenhower. General Goodpaster was instrumental in guiding West Point through one of its biggest scandals and restoring its good name.
University of California President. First Chancellor at UC Berkeley. As President of the UC School System Clark Kerr created a model of education that expanded opportunities for students across the United States.
Letters of Appreciation