May 8, 2014 FAC/STAFF

Host Families Needed To Welcome An International Student to JCU!

As the University bids farewell to our seniors, the campus begins to prepare for our new incoming Class of 2018. We are excited to welcome the largest class of international students JCU has ever seen! With 24 students from more than 17 countries deposited and counting – we need your help! We are seeking host families to help them make the transition to life on our campus and in our community.

For information on the Class of 2018 including nationalities, visit http://sites.jcu.edu/analytics/ from an on-campus computer.

As a host family for our international students, the required time commitment is very little. Our students will be arriving on August 20-21. They will need a place to stay off campus for two nights. During that time, they will likely need to go shopping for items they did not bring with them. They will need help moving in to their dorm rooms on the 21st. After that, your level of commitment and engagement with your international student is whatever you and they are interested in.

What have other host families said about the experience?

“Our experience this past school year hosting JCU international students has been an uplifting and enriching one for our whole family. We share visits on campus, celebrate their birthdays with them, and enjoy the holidays together at our home. Our children and grandchildren have embraced them as a regular part of our family. We are personally rooted in an extended family that now reaches to China, Ethiopia, and Saudi Arabia.”

– Sally Rummel, enrollment services counselor in Financial Aid

“The experience of being a host family for an international student offered us the opportunity to learn about another country from a very personal perspective. Although this was kind of expected, hearing about our student’s home country and family from his point of view made it much more meaningful. What we didn’t expect was the opportunity to get to know a number of other students through this process. As he has made friends on campus, we have included them in some of the dinners and events we have had. It has been a nice way to get to know students in a non-official capacity.”

– James Martin, Ph.D., associate dean of Boler School

This is an amazing group of students. Don’t miss your chance to be an integral part of their time at JCU.

For more information and an application, contact Megan McBride (mmcbride@jcu.edu) by May 31.