"These international students, especially the UWC kids, make a considerable contribution to the intellectual caliber of discussion in my classes," said Rodman. "They expose American students to quite diverse points of view and challenge the stale liberal-conservative split that dominates American political thought."

Such as?

"I had a Brazilian in my class, a very conservative pro-business guy," Rodman said. "One day this American classmate with similar views began referring to Latin American oil, this resource, as 'our oil.'" The result was what Rodman called "an educational clash."

In another class, an American feminist raised questions about the prevalence of female genital mutilation in some countries. "She raised the issue, with some passion, as a human rights issue," Rodman said. "But an African feminist in the class, who shared many similar beliefs, really went after the American student about her ethnocentric cultural assumptions. Those are exactly the kinds of dialogues that are critically important to preparing our students for the world they're inheriting. You wouldn't have those exchanges if the international students weren't here."

American students agree. "Every single international student I've met brings a lot to the table," said Kate Heidemann '04 of Connecticut. "I was in an anthropology class where we watched a film about civil wars in Africa. The film was full of violent images, and we could all agree that what we were seeing was a tragedy. But sitting next to me was one of my friends from Zimbabwe, and he was crying through the whole thing. This kind of direct contact brings everything alive. You're never going to get that from a textbook."

The growing population of international students has opened doors to the world. "I grew up in Maine, and I never got farther than Quebec in high school," said Catherine Fillebrown '05, an East Asian studies major. "Here are all these students from Africa, India, Asia, Latin America and Eastern Europe. I hadn't seen the world before coming to college, but in a way Colby brought the whole world to me."

That expanded world is a boost to students and faculty.

"There's an energy and drive among the international students that's quite inspiring," said David Findlay, the Pugh Family Professor of Economics. "They ask questions I hadn't anticipated, and they really dig into the material. They encourage other students to aim higher academically."