The University soon will have a more international flavor when a new International Residential College opens in the fall of 2001.
The residential college, which joins the Mosaic House, Brown and Hereford Residential Colleges as the fourth such complex at the University, will house both American and international students.
"We want vibrant, very bright students who have an interest in international studies and foreign languages," said Barbara Nolan, vice provost and chairwoman of the committee that created the final proposal for the college.
The new college will be housed in the Munford, Gwathmey and Lewis residence halls on Sprigg Lane. The nearby Mosaic House, which now functions as a multicultural housing option for students, will remain a separate entity but will serve as a model for the new college.
"We are not dismantling Mosaic House, we are using it as the core" for the new residential college, said Angela M. Davis, assistant dean of students for residence life and International Residential College committee member. "It is a very nice jewel around which to build programming for the residential college."
Nolan said students seeking to live in the new residential college will not need experience in international issues -- only an interest. She said she expects the residential college to attract students interested in the global environment studying abroad, cross-cultural differences and the value of personally interacting with international students.
Much like the University's current residential colleges, a principal will live among the students. The principal will be a faculty member who works in a field related to international studies.
A programming director also will be hired from among the faculty, but this position will not involve living in the residential college.
Officials do not expect the applicant pool for the positions to be very large because of the commitment involved. But Nolan said she expects the pool to include "interested and interesting candidates."
Students applying to live in the residential college will face an application process similar to that of Brown and Hereford, but with a different focus. Selection criteria will center more around interest in foreign language, study abroad, and the history, politics and literature of international cultures, Nolan said.
The idea for the International Residential College has circulated for the past 10 years, she said. The last time a serious proposal was put forth was about four years ago, but the current residential colleges were still considered to be in their formative years at the time. Officials decided it would be wise to wait before creating a new college, she added.
A mix of representatives from throughout the University served on the committee that created the proposal, many of whom are members of the Virginia 2020 Commission on International Activities, a commission appointed by University President John T. Casteen III to expand international opportunities at the University.
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