Sumit Jadhav, student body vice president, said he knows the process of adapting to a new country and its educational system can be “stressful” and “intimidating.”

Jadhav, an international student from India, said USF World’s new Global Student Center is a great addition to the Tampa campus.

The center will bring together a range of USF services, such as International Student Support and Education Abroad, in one space to increase support for USF’s international and study abroad students, Jadhav said.

“This brings a sense of community and a sense of home away from home for all our international students,” he said. “You enter one office and you find all these services in the same space.”

The new center opened in the Faculty Office Building in the USF Tampa campus on Nov. 18.

Sean Gilmore is the assistant vice president for global academic partnerships and enrollment at USF World. The services were brought together to make it easier for international and domestic students to access global services, Gilmore said.

“We realized we’re kind of a powerhouse,” Gilmore said. “We really need to get our ducks in a row so that we can amplify those efforts.”

USF was ranked as the No. 1 university with the most international students in Florida by OpenDoors Data in a November report. The report also ranked the university No. 2 in Florida institutions with the most U.S. students studying abroad.

The 2023-24 academic year shows over 7,000 international students attending USF Tampa, according to the report.

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In addition to merging services, the new center brings international, study abroad and exchange students together, Gilmore said.

“This is the spot where we not only bring our international students and give them a home, but then invite our domestic students to share that home and really amplify the cultural exchange piece of it,” he said.

The opening comes over two years after INTO USF, a program that supported incoming international students, shut down in 2022.

“[INTO] was a single-purpose use, whereas now this is more of a global space for everybody,” Gilmore said.

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Gilmore said conversations with contractors for a “complete redo” started in June. The floors were replaced, the walls repainted, all the offices were redone and new furniture was brought in, he said.

Gilmore did not provide the cost of the project or contractor information at the time of publication.

Jadhav said the new center will have educational spaces for students, such as classrooms to hold events or interactive games.

“It’s great team bonding,” he said. “Especially now that it’s the final exam season. This can be a stressful time so that is a good place to chat, network and bond with people.”

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Adriana Martinez, a freshman information technology major, said she chose to attend USF because she always wanted to study outside her home country, Honduras.

As a first-year student, Martinez said arriving at USF and seeing the many available resources made the process easier.

Martinez said she made her first friends through a campus tour, which helped her adapt smoothly after her parents dropped her off at USF.

“I did the campus tour and it was my first time alone,” she said. “But because I met them, I didn’t feel the difficult transition.”

Gilmore said he wants international students to have the “best experience possible” because USF has allowed him to encourage people to come to Tampa, his hometown.

“You come into my house, come to my school, I want it to feel like family when you get here,” he said. 

Martinez said the international student offices helped her not only with issues, such as changing her insurance company, but also made her feel welcome. 

“Even if you want to be here, you get homesick, you miss your country,” she said. “They made that process easier.”

Correction: An earlier version of this article incorrectly stated the offices found in the new center.