International students at Stony Brook University now have a dedicated space on campus with the opening of the International Student Center. The center, located on the ground floor of Melville Library, was officially opened in early October and welcomed nearly 100 students, faculty, and staff for a ribbon-cutting event.
Lindsi Walker, senior associate provost for global affairs, addressed students at the opening. “This is for the students. Everything we have and everything we are building is for you,” she said. “Now you have a physical space dedicated to serving you, but this is about more than physical space. This is about our commitment at Stony Brook to standing with you and seeing you succeed — academically, culturally, socially, and into your future.”
The new center provides areas where students can study or relax, as well as access to staff offices for the International Student Success team. These resources are intended to make it easier for international students to ask questions and seek support, including tutoring services.
The creation of the center comes as Stony Brook works to maintain its international student population. After reaching a peak enrollment of nearly 4,600 international students in fall 2019, numbers dropped sharply due to the Covid pandemic but have since rebounded to almost 4,000 this fall. Among them are approximately 1,100 new freshman, transfer, or graduate students.
Most international students at Stony Brook come from China and India; overall, the university’s student body represents more than 100 countries.
Carl W. Lejuez, executive vice president for academic affairs and provost, also spoke at the event: “At Stony Brook, we believe that international students make us a better country and a better place to be. We don’t take the privilege of you being here for granted,” he said. “We’re going to work everyday to help you feel that you made the right choice in coming here, that you are wanted here, and that your presence here makes this university better.”