The start of the 2007-2008 school year saw the number of incoming international freshman students rise from 31 attendees last year to 52 this year, according to American Today.
The Office of International Student and Scholar Services conducted follow-up phone calls and sent e-mails to accepted international students to answer their questions, and aid in the decision-making process leading to the increase of international students on campus, American Today reported.
The students who work for ISSS are known as AU Diplomats. They answer international students' questions dealing with everything from campus and D.C. safety, discrimination and academics, according to American Today.
The AU Diplomat initiative began a few years ago. The program has been more involved in outreach to international students since the start of this past spring, according to American Today.
Most international students who come to AU are from South Korea, Japan, China and India, American Today reported.
The contact between AU students and accepted international students helps in many of the students' enrollment decisions, Fanta Aw, director of ISSS, told American Today.
"I think student-to-student contact, and students hearing about others' experiences, goes a long way in helping the student and family make a decision about which university to attend," she said.
-KIM SELMAN
