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International students constitute a vital element in SIUE’s goal to become a premier metropolitan University. They help provide the stimulating and diverse academic environment SIUE requires in order to achieve this goal. SIUE’s International Office has been reorganized and staff added to better serve our international students. It will have new physical quarters when the Student Success Center is added to Morris University Center in 2009. SIUE continues to increase its efforts to recruit more international students and to offer them financial assistance. And of course the International Hospitality Program continues to grow. Host families enrich the social and academic experience of our international students in so many ways. SIUE appreciates their dedication.
Two key members of the International Host Family community who have introduced large numbers of international students to Edwardsville and SIUE are Doris Gvillo and her late husband Wilfred “Bill” Gvillo. For more than three decades, they have opened widely the doors of their home, arranging holiday dinners and excursions, and organizing home stays. They are International Ambassadors, icons of the SIUE international community. The actions of Doris and Bill have benefited SIUE international students and, therefore, the University. It is now time to establish a scholarship fund that recognizes Doris and Bill for their generosity, hospitality, and kindness.