University of Virginia Library

International Center Grows

A stately old home on
University Circle begins a new
life this fall as the University of
Virginia opens Thornton
House, its new international
student center.

Once the home of the first
dean of engineering, Thornton
House has been completely
renovated to create a center
where the University's
international community of
more than 500 persons can
entertain and get to know each
other and the people of the
community.

The new center will serve as
a site for the International
Club's coffee hour and for
cultural programs presented by
national groups, as a reception
center for foreign visitors, an
orientation center for new
international students and as a
meeting place for the
Charlottesville International
students and as a meeting place
for the Charlottesville
International Hospitality
Committee and the foreign
wives club.

"As the number of
international students has
grown, we have had difficulty
finding meeting places large
enough to hold them. And
there has been no place
regularly available for the
smaller groups to meet,"
international student advisor
Mrs. Lucy Hale says.

The center is not planned as
a place to be used solely by
international students, but as a
way to bring the American
students, the Charlottesville
community and the foign
students together, he
explained.

"It will give us an
opportunity to make the
international community
visible to the rest of the
University and Charlottesville
and will allow the foreign
students to show what they
can contribute to the
University and the
community," said Mrs. Hale.

"And many students who
come here from abroad have
limited funds and don't have
any suitable place to entertain
their friends. The center will
give them a place to have
friends over to serve a native
meal."

The wishes and needs of
international students have
changed over the last few years
and we are trying to construct
our plans for the house to meet
the real needs, not just what
we now think is the need. We
want to get feedback from the
students on what programs
they want and how Thornton
House can be best used," she
continued.

There will be no permanent
residents at the center except
for a manager and an assistant
manager. Bedrooms on the
second floor will be used to
house distinguished foreign
visitors and foreign students
who are only in Charlottesville
for a few days.

"We frequently have
officials of foreign cities,
visiting doctors or Fulbright
scholars who want to stay at
the University when they are in
town. Up to now, we've had no
place to offer to them. The
master bedroom will be
decorated and reserved
specifically for this purpose,"
explained Mrs. Hale.

The major renovations on
the house are complete now:
The heating, plumbing and
wiring have all been repaired or
replaced and the walls
repainted.

"The house itself is now in
splendid shape," said Mrs.
Hale. "However, except for the
color television set given to us
by the senior class and a few
furnishings we salvaged, we
have no furniture. We still need
rugs, china and folding chairs
just to begin.

"But we have a beautiful
house–and we'll get the
furniture eventually."