I think this is great. The students get a sense of what it actually means to be a global citizen. What would Columbia University be without its diverse and international student body. I'm personally very proud to be part of such a great community as Columbia.
The article below is taken from New York Times and it also discusses the increase of foreign scholars and leaders around at the US campuses. This is also necessary if a nation wants to stay competitive. The US is doing very well in higher education just because they attract the best scholars from all over the world.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/10/education/10presidents.html?_r=1&scp=4&sq=foreign%20students&st=cse
Our student run business, Columbia University Tutoring & Translating Agency (CUTTA), is managed by a different student every year. This year our manager is Swedish, but has lived in the UK and Norway as well. Next year there will be an American student running the company. To get to know the other student employees around me from all around the world is priceless and it really enriches my life a lot.
-Jakob
