Schools adds international student advisor

DANVILLE, Ky. (Sept. 12, 2014) — Centre College has 30 new international students and eight foreign exchange students on campus this fall, bringing the school’s total of international students to 84. New students hail from countries such as China, Ecuador, England, India, Ireland, Northern Ireland, Japan, Korea, Myanmar, Norway, Spain and Vietnam.

With increased international enrollment Centre created a new position, hiring Stephen Swan as international student advisor.

Swan’s responsibilities include overseeing a peer mentor program that helps first-year international students acclimate to life in the U.S.

Swan said exposure to students from around the world will benefit U.S. students.

“A study published by Duke University in 2013 found that American students who engaged with international students while on campus are more likely to appreciate art and literature, place current problems in historical perspective and read or speak a foreign language,” Swan said.

The study also reported that domestic students who interacted with international students were more likely to reexamine their political and religious viewpoints as well as their beliefs about other races and ethnicities.

Ultimately, Swan is certain that the College’s continued emphasis on global diversity will pay dividends in the long run.

“I have always thought that the best lessons in international relations are learned by interacting with one another,” Swan said. “So, in this sense, our international students are a very important resource to our campus.”