The Boston globe

Strolling through the George Sherman Union during lunchtime these days, you can be forgiven if you think you’re in the cafeteria at the United Nations. From Italian to Chinese to Hindi, the languages spoken at the tables exemplify the international presence that BU has both on campus and around the world.

It’s not just a demographic hiccup. As a matter of fact, the University’s Strategic Plan exhorts the entire community “to foster the engagement of Boston University in...the world,” something we continue to achieve in many ways and in many places.

Here

• Boston University enrolled more than 5,040 international undergraduate and graduate students last year from 136 different countries—one of the largest international student bodies in the country, representing 15 percent of the total enrollment, and 12 percent of all international students in New England.
• Foreign enrollment exceeds 5,000 students again this year.
• The number of international clubs and organizations for students is now more than 50, and all of them contribute greatly to the fabric of life on campus. Students this year enjoyed a cappella Hindi music, Lebanese movies, a Garba/Raas dance national championship, and many other multicultural activities.
• International Relations is the largest department at BU, with more than 1,000 undergraduate majors enrolled in one of four regional tracks: Africa and the Middle East, East Asia, Europe, and Latin America. In addition, 139 graduate students are pursuing IR or joint degree programs.

There

• International Programs continue to be very popular, both for BU students and students from more than 150 other colleges and universities. In total, nearly 2,300 students participated in our programs. Last year saw the introduction of nine new programs, including the International Conflict Resolution Program in London and Geneva, the Rabat Language & Liberal Arts Program, the Madrid Film Studies & Documentary Video Production Program, and Travel Writing in Australia.
• BU students continue to volunteer their time overseas. Trips included the BU Medical Brigade’s visit to Honduras, an alternative spring break to Canada, and the BU chapter of Engineers Without Borders traveling to Peru.
• The Medical Campus announced a $5 million grant for its Global Health Primary Care Initiative, a program that works in 12 countries to enhance primary care through education, training, and improvement of health systems management.
• Boston University School of Medicine received a grant from the Lincy Foundation to support a curriculum development project at the Yerevan State Medical University in Armenia. The project will develop a framework to make medical education in Armenia comparable to that in the U.S. and Western Europe.

Everywhere

All this international activity demonstrates that Boston University continues to be a leader in international education and research, a tradition that started decades ago. (Remember: we were one of the first universities to send students abroad to study.) Our ever-expanding commitment in this area ensures our students will be well positioned to assume their responsibilities in the global community.