UNM wants to bring more international students to the school in the coming year.
Vice President for Student Affairs Cheo Torres and the Albuquerque Council for International Visitors signed an agreement last week to work together to increase enrollment of international students.
Torres said working with the ACIV will bring more international students to New Mexico and enrich the community.
The ACIV is a volunteer organization that promotes international tourism and a multi-ethnic community.
Torres said UNM's campus is full of the beauty of the Southwest and will draw people in from around the world.
"We want the students to fall in love with UNM and New Mexico," he said.
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Torres said the agreement will strengthen the international student presence on campus through events planned by UNM Student Affairs. The ACIV will do its part by making the new visitors see the Land of Enchantment as an option for higher education, he said.
Torres said he is pleased to see UNM and the ACIV working together toward a common purpose.
"The ACIV does a lot for the community already, and we are excited to be a part of that," he said. "UNM will have the same goals."
In spring 2008, international students made up .73 percent of the undergraduate class and 9.22 percent of graduate students.
UNM's Office of International Programs sponsors weekly events like international student social hours to help students adapt to the campus and their environment.
Xi Luo has been an international student at UNM since January and will stay here to finish her nursing degree.
"I came here four months ago from China, and the Office of International Programs really helped me get used to this new place," she said. "The social hours they plan are really fun and a great way to meet people that are in the same situation."
Luo lives in a house with five other international students.
"We are all excited about it," Luo said. "The different mix of cultures and people will really be fun."
Carmen Brown, incoming Vice President of Enrollment, said that although the admission of international students will increase, local admissions will not be lowered or changed.
Torres said international recruitment will not have a negative impact on recruiting local students, including minorities.
He said a larger international presence on campus will enrich the lives of local students.
