Boston College has always been an institution with an international flair. John McElroy, S.J., founded it in 1863 in Boston after growing up on his family's farm in Ulster, Northern Ireland. John Bapst, a native of Switzerland, became BC's first president. The Brit and the Swiss catered to a student population that was mainly made up of poor, Irish immigrants, offering education to improve lives.
Nowadays, the student population has become something entirely different. Sit down at Hillside Cafe and you will see students with $200 iPhones and designer jeans, enjoying a gourmet New England Classic panini. No more slide rulers, knickerbockers, or baked potatoes to be seen, and you would even be hard pressed to find an international student among the crowd, as they are a minority at BC.
This fall, however, there was an upswing in BC's international population. Last year, BC welcomed 285 new international students to Chestnut Hill, and this year that number increased to 425, representing nearly 70 countries and six continents. In all, this fall saw a 50 percent increase in international enrollment over last year's numbers.
Adrienne Nussbaum, director of the Office of International Students and Scholars, says the 50 percent increase can be explained mainly by growth in three sectors of the international population: exchange students, incoming freshmen, and the newly created School of Theology and Ministry. The number of exchange students rose from about 80 last year to 120 this year, incoming freshmen rose from 45 to 78, and there are about 50 international students taking part in the School of Theology and Ministry's first year of operation.
Nussbaum says the biggest mystery is why there are nearly twice as many freshmen in the class of 2012 than in years past, but she offers a compelling hypothesis. "We noticed a higher than average yield in enrollment from internationals this year and that may be due to the depreciating dollar," Nussbaum says. It's not that BC is accepting more international students, it's that more international students are accepting BC's invitation of enrollment.
2008 Woodie Awards
