For Catherine Clarise Cardon the decision to study at Old Dominion combined many aspects, but essentially came down to the fact that she "felt welcome" at the school.

"Old Dominion was very charming," said the senior history major from Normandy, France. "When I visited Old Dominion, I met people and spoke with the professors and knew they would take care of me, and I felt welcome."

Cardon is not alone. More than 1,100 foreign students from over 100 countries were pursuing graduate and undergraduate degrees last semester. An additional 300 foreign-born students seeking resident status study at the university too, helping make Old Dominion known as Virginia's International University.

According to Scott King, director of International Student and Scholar Services, Old Dominion aggressively recruits international students and offers them an array of services on campus.

"Students from overseas bring a global perspective to the educational experience of all our students and add an international dimension to campus reflective of today's working world," King noted. "But these students don't just magically appear here. Old Dominion has to work with foreign embassies in Washington, D.C., secondary school counselors, government educational and scholarship agencies and other academic advising centers throughout the world to recruit these students to our campus."

Bonolo Tlhoro, a graduate counseling student from Botswana, learned about Old Dominion from the organization that manages scholarships for the Botswana government.

"(The organization) sent me information on many American universities," said Tlhoro, who worked as a high school career counselor in her home country. "When I looked at Old Dominion's program it was exactly what I wanted to do."

Sponsored by the Botswana government, Tlhoro plans to return to her country - and husband and two children - after she receives her degree. "The whole objective is to study overseas, receive a good education and return home to where my services are needed."

In fact, according to King, Old Dominion's academic reputation and availability of programs that meet the specific needs of the international population are two of the top reasons why foreign students choose to study at the university. Other reasons international students cite include recommendations of friends, internship opportunities, the high-tech environment, location and their acceptance into the campus community.

The International Student and Scholar Services (ISSS) office, which will celebrate its 20th anniversary this year, provides essential services and programs for foreign students - everything from assisting with enrollment and completion of forms to teaching cultural differences to helping students communicate with their families back home.

"In addition to administrative support and legal services, ISSS offers a range of programs and activities," said King. "The office has a Friendship Family Program, enrichment activities, volunteer translator pool for medical and other services and regular workshops on training and employment opportunities."

In addition, ISSS offers workshops on campus to faculty, administrators and staff members who interact with foreign students.

"Scott (King) knows everything," said Cardon. "If anything ever happens, you can always call him and he'll know what to do."

Old Dominion's reputation as a good school for foreign students led Trinidad native Navindra Ramdath to study medical technology at the university. Ramdath did a school search on the Web and found that Old Dominion, along with 99 other colleges and universities, matched his criteria.

"One thing that was important to me was a school that accepts and treats foreign students well," he said. "In addition to its reputation with international students, Old Dominion is pretty well situated on the East Coast."

While the growth of foreign students in colleges across the nation since 1991 has remained fairly flat, Old Dominion has experienced a tremendous increase in enrollment. In a six-year period when the number of international students grew by only 14.7 percent nationally, Old Dominion saw an international student increase of 41.3 percent.

"The word is out about Old Dominion University. In fact, our name is probably better known outside the country than in," said King.