International initiative connects students abroad and on campus

In 1892, chemist Louis Pasteur wrote a letter to NYU Chancellor Henry Mitchell MacCracken, encouraging student exchange between NYU and institutions of higher education in France.

That was 120 years ago. Now, NYU thrives as a Global Network University leader, with 13 alternative academic centers, including NYU Abu Dhabi and NYU Shanghai, which is scheduled to open next fall. There has been an increasing number of international students at the university, and over 40 percent of undergraduates study abroad. This number is increasing every year.

This year, the university launched an internalization initiative to give people an opportunity to become more involved within the community of international students and to encourage more students to participate in study abroad programs.

This included the NYU Passport Drive during Welcome Week, which encouraged all students to get a passport by facilitating the study abroad application process and allowed them to take passport photos for free. Residence halls, dining halls and other main campus buildings are also adapting to the university’s internationalization process. Many display flags, maps and clocks that show the time zones of all locations abroad.

As a part of the initiative, Allen McFarlane, the newly appointed assistant vice president for Outreach and Engagement, will begin meeting individually with each incoming international student this fall semester.

“It helps international students be part of the community and feel at home at NYU,” McFarlane said.

McFarlane also said efforts to incorporate international students into the NYU community are not new to the school, but are a continuation of a process that started years ago.

International students also have the possibility of substituting their expository writing requirement with international workshops, which is designed for those whose first language is not English.

Stern freshman Mike Kim, originally from Korea, said this new class option would give him a special opportunity to meet students from around the globe.

“Everyone looked around and asked each other, ‘Where are you from?’” Kim said.

A version of this article appeared in the Tuesday, Sept. 11 print edition. Caterina Cestarelli is a contributing writer. Email her at university@nyunews.com.