International Student Welcome Party Brings Record Admissions

On a frosty overcast January afternoon, the Meridian Ballroom in the Morris University Center at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville was all aglow with warm smiles, hot apple cider and an international spring cohort of over 200 students.
The International Student Welcome Party, a joint initiative between the Office of International Affairs and International Admissions, hosted a winter welcome on Friday, Jan. 5 as part of International Student and Scholar Services orientation. After a traditional group photo in front of the Cougar Statue, the students patiently filed inside the ballroom to warm up and enjoy the party.
“About half of the new international students are undergraduates,” said James Monahan, EdD, director of Graduate and International Admissions.
“It is likely this is the largest number of undergraduate international students that we have ever had starting in spring, and possibly the largest number of undergrads starting for any semester.”
SIUE welcomed about 150 new international students last spring, marking this semester with a growth of over 33%.
That growth is full of promise and positive energy. Students engaged in both dramatic celebrations and mindful concentration at a checkers table while weaving SIUE friendship bracelets at another.
The new students sampled American-style pies, hot chocolate and apple cider, many for the first time. Eddie, the Cougar mascot, posed for selfies while Hindi blockbuster film scores and Shakira’s vocals filled the ballroom.
Cornhole, the popular bag toss game, was perhaps the biggest hit of the party, and a fitting way to share a Midwest welcome with the international students.
“This is a collaborative effort from different departments and staff members,” said Mario McCart, graduate admission coordinator, over the echoing sounds of corn-filled bags slapping scoring boxes and the plinking of life-sized Connect Four discs.
“The goal is to help enrolled international students at SIUE connect with each other and feel welcome,” McCart concluded.
From the shared excitement at the International Student Welcome Party, the students felt more than welcomed— they felt ready to be a part of the future.
PHOTOS: New International students enrolled in the spring semester outside the Cougar Statue, Eddie the Cougar posing with a group of international students, an international student playing cornhole