On the one hand, the concerns of Old Dominion's international students are not much different from those of the university's domestic students. For virtually all students, money is far and above the biggest concern - having enough for tuition, housing and basic necessities. And, of course, there is always the concern about - literally - making the grade.

There are, however, concerns unique to Old Dominion's sizable international student population, which for the fall semester stood at 1,366 (nonimmigrant), or 7 percent of the student body. For most, there is the concern that comes with living and studying in another culture with a different language.

"No matter how good a student is, there is a big difference between studying it in their classroom back home and coming here where you're immersed in it, where you're expected to listen to lectures, take notes and read hundreds of pages of a textbook, all in English," says Scott King, the university's director of international student and scholar services.

International students also are faced with new ways of teaching and testing, the challenge of fitting in and the necessity of developing a new support system, a particular concern among newlyweds and students with families.

Despite these and other obstacles, students keep coming - from India, China, Cyprus, Botswana, the Middle East - all over the globe. At last count, students from 109 countries were enrolled at Old Dominion.

Says King, "We knock ourselves around a lot in this country about our education system, but I think the fact that we have half a million foreign students speaks to the real value of our education system. This is where the Nobel Prizes are won, where the cutting-edge technology is. This is where innovation takes place.

"International students get excited about the specializations our schools offer. In most European countries, you study chemistry - period. In the U.S., particularly at the graduate level, you can specialize in organic chemistry or thermochemistry. The broad range of studies available in this country is very attractive."

The diversity of Old Dominion's student body also makes the university an attractive choice, according to many international students.

King's office is located inside the Dragas International Center, which in itself speaks loud and clear, in any language, about Old Dominion's commitment to being known as Virginia's International University. Established in 1995, the center also houses the offices of International Admissions and Study Abroad. For students, it is a visible reminder that they are an important constituency, King says. At the Dragas Center, they can find answers to their questions about everything from immigration to internships, as well as receive counseling and advising.

It's also a place where they can come to unload, says King. "Sometimes they just need someone to talk to about all the transition they're going through."

While the university can't always resolve every problem, it can - and does - educate its employees about interacting with students from other cultures via a variety of training sessions. Whether it's a department secretary, a financial aid adviser or a cafeteria worker who takes the time to understand a student's question and give a thoughtful reply, it's that sort of responsiveness that can make a huge impact.

Old Dominion has responded to the needs of an increasingly shrinking world in the classroom, as well, by adding international emphases to many of its core courses. At her inauguration in October, President Roseann Runte said that globalism must be "deeply imbedded" in the curriculum. She also announced a new initiative, created by John Heyl, executive director of international programs, called the Presidential Global Scholarship Program. It is designed to offer a four-year set of experiences that includes "unique opportunities to understand global issues and to build global competence," Runte said. It also makes Old Dominion the only U.S. university to offer a major scholarly award that combines globally focused resources, advising, and programs of study on campus and abroad through the four years of a student's undergraduate career.

This year, the College of Engineering and Technology took its international focus to another level when it introduced a unique master's program that allows students to pursue their degree both on campus and at universities across Europe.

"Engineers are increasingly required to possess a global perspective, and what better way to achieve that than through hands-on study around the globe?" said Dean William Swart.

"An engineer's day-to-day life has been dramatically transformed by new telecommunications networks, mega-mergers between the world's largest enterprises and the rise in global competition. Sound engineering skills combined with international experiences make up a highly attractive professional profile."

Just in the last few years, Old Dominion has witnessed an increase in the number of its domestic students pursuing study abroad, which can be attributed in some cases to their association with international students.

Says King, "I think these [domestic] students get benefits they won't even realize until afterward. They may not think that sitting in class next to a student from Senegal is going to make a difference, but having a foreign student demystified and taking the energy to understand someone with a different way of speaking English is an important part of their education."

The same, of course, holds true for the international students who come to Old Dominion.

Nizar Habash, one of five international alumni featured on these pages, offers his own theory about the value of diversity on today's college campuses.

"Although the world seems to be turning into a small village, conflicts between cultures continue to exist. We can see and hear each other, but we still don't understand each other.

"International students are perfect human bridges, community diplomats if you will, who go beyond 'translating' one language to another. They interpret cultures to each other. To accomplish this, a full-immersion experience is required to be able to be fully bi/multicultural. One has to go beyond learning the language to respecting and loving their second culture as if it were their first."