INTO This Week 78

The ceremony was open to all students and staff at the University and the entire community of Corvallis. Representatives INTO University Partnerships also attended. INTO OSU students finished their classes early on Monday so they could be part of the celebrations. Attendees enjoyed performances from the OSU marching band and cheerleaders, while the University's mascot, Benny the Beaver, was on hand to pose for photos with students and spread the Beaver Spirit.

INTO OSU Center Director Amy McGowan introduced a challenge for the guests to undertake during the evening's celebrations. The 'Passport to the International Living-Learning Center' gave guests the chance to visit every floor of the building to sample food and drink from all over the world, and collect a passport stamp from each region represented, in order to be entered into a raffle for fabulous prizes.

To much fanfare - and photographs - domestic and international students joined together to cut the giant ribbon, officially opening the building. "We want to welcome the world to our university," said Amy as the ribbon was cut.

Oregon State University's President Dr. Ed Ray and INTO Chairman Andrew Colin both spoke on the importance of the new building as a home for a new generation of international students at OSU. They also agreed that the partnership with INTO has significantly changed OSU and pushed it further toward its internationalization goals. "All great universities are truly international. Knowledge is international currency. It is the way we spread prosperity and peace to all corners of the world," Andrew said in front of the gathered guests.

The attendees also heard from a former INTO OSU student, Heling "Zero" Cui, now a junior in mechanical engineering. Zero shared her personal experience and encouraged the current generation of INTO OSU students to truly live and learn together. "Participating in activities helps you make friends," she advised her peers. "Also, do not be shy, and ask questions. Do not worry about being wrong. Nobody can always be right," she added.

All of the guests were encouraged to explore the new facility and everyone enjoyed the open feeling and bright colors of the building. Joyce Zou, an INTO OSU student said, "I like the stairs with all the glass and the lights everywhere. The building is open and bright. Peet's coffee and the Cascadia market are really great too."

The new, state-of the art building provides not only housing to more than 320 US and international students but also workspace for more than 100 staff and faculty, 24 classrooms, and 15 conference rooms. The ILLC will be the main base for INTO OSU, and is being relished as an opportunity for the students on campus to come together and enjoy being part of a global community.

Check out all the photos from the event here.

The event was organised by six universities, including INTO partners City University London, The University of Manchester and the University of East Anglia, with representatives from INTO's Russian office attending as well.

Irina Sherbakova, Assistant Recruitment Director for Eastern Europe and Central Asia, said, "It is a unique move in the Russian market; universities usually rely on local fair organisers such as agents or the British Council to organise something like this. In running the fair the universities were demonstrating that they are ready for a more pro-active approach to the market."

More than 60 students attended the event, after a promotional campaign in five universities and five schools in the local area. Lots of the students were interested in pursuing a masters degree in high-tech subjects such as IT, Engineering and Computing Sciences. Without the overcrowding seen at some fairs, the potential students were able to meet exhibitors and discuss in depth their study options.

As well as meeting the universities, the INTO stand was busy throughout the event, with the team providing information about the preparation courses available to students. Although the fair was principally about postgraduate study, many students professed an interest in Foundation or Diploma level study in subjects such as Business, Economics and Law.

"The students who attended were the right type of students and showed a lot of interest in the exhibitors' stands," added Irina. "The event was very tightly focused on UK higher education, which was great as it gave the students a chance to have one-on-one interviews and to really work out what they needed. It also offered the opportunity for the universities to better understand the market, including the demand for specific programmes, the level of academic and English skills and the students' expectations."