News reports tell of passengers from coast to coast forced to re-schedule or forego travel altogether because their passport applications were not processed in time. But help in alleviating the backup in applying for a passport is available at the University of Louisville’s International Center, home to Passport Place.

The recently opened Passport Place was created as part of the International Center’s work to help students, faculty and staff navigate the requirements for traveling abroad. Though Passport Place has seen steady growth, its ability to accept passport applications has never been limited to only those with UofL connections.

“We are authorized by the Department of State to help all eligible U.S. citizens apply for a passport, whether they are affiliated with UofL or not,” said Kristin Samer, marketing coordinator and Passport Acceptance Agent at UofL’s International Center. “For the same $35 fee charged at post offices and other facilities that provide passports, we can take your application and submit it; all fees collected go to support international education at UofL.”

“While we can’t change the (State Department’s) processing time, we are able to assist right away and get most applications sent out the same day. And, unlike other facilities, no appointment is necessary; we take walk-ins.”

Samer said Passport Place’s ability to speed up the application process is probably due to the public’s lack of knowledge of its existence. “People at UofL know us, of course, but the general public does not,” she said. “That void of information creates capacity.”

The facility is included on the State Department’s list of offices where passport applications can be filed, however, leading to a trickle of people already finding it. “We even had a family come up from Nashville to apply for their passports with us because we were the only place taking walk-in appointments in the region, and they found out about us on the State Department website.

“We’ve heard the horror stories about other facilities. People have tried scheduling appointments weeks out, and then the facility cancelled them the day of the appointment because there are too many applications to process or an acceptance agent isn’t there to assist with the application.��These problems have not occurred at Passport Place,” she said. “The staff is well-trained, friendly and extremely knowledgeable. We have a waiting room with coffee, coloring books for children and comfortable seating. We believe these factors are what differentiates the Passport Place at UofL from other Passport Acceptance Facilities.”

Is Samer worried that getting the word out will lead to overrunning Passport Place’s ability to speedily submit passport applications? “We’ll cross that bridge if we have to,” she said, “but right now we have the capacity to process many applications each day.”

Passport Place is open six days a week, Monday-Thursday, 8:30 a.m.-7 p.m., Friday, 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m., and Saturday, 9 a.m.-1 p.m. It is located in the UofL International Center at 2220 E. Centennial Walk off Third Street. During the week, parking is available for a fee in the Speed Art Museum Garage on Third Street. On Saturdays, the gated lot next to the center is open and parking is free.

For details on what you need to apply for a U.S. passport, go to the State Department website, or contact Passport Place at 502-852-0300 or passportoffice@louisville.edu. Currently, the State Department recommends you apply for your passport six months in advance of your trip out of the country.

According to “University of Louisville Belknap Campus,” written by Tom Owen and Sherri Pawson, when the center relocated to the Belknap Campus, it began facilitating international exchanges, promoted foreign trade, welcomed visiting scholars and dignitaries from around the world, and helped the growing student population feel at home.

In 1970, with financial support from the community, the International Center built its current location behind the Brandeis School of Law. In 1981, it was named for Romanian immigrant George Brodschi, the center’s first executive director, who served from 1949 to 1978.

Now, the center is tasked with multiple obligations as it is split into two offices: the Office of Study Abroad and International Travel, and the Office of International Student and Scholar Services (ISSS). The Office of Study Abroad and International Travel sends students abroad to study, research, and participate in internships and community engagement. This office also provides advice on travel regulations and host country requirements, assists with enrollment processes, collaborates with university departments on international opportunities, processes transcripts, and collects faculty/staff international travel documentation and more.

The Office of International Students and Scholar Services receives students, scholars and faculty from more than 100 countries. They currently process immigration documents and provide support for over 1,000 students and scholars each year.

As the center marks this milestone, however, Thomas Beard, interim director of International Student and Scholar Services, said what he is most proud of are the students who have been served through the center.

“Many of these students go on to be future leaders within their communities and that starts within this office,” he said. “You cannot quantify the global experiences that this center provides and I believe that these experiences have translated into better leaders, scholars and engaged faculty, staff and students toward their local, national and global communities.��Opening up this global perspective to the UofL campus has been the center’s biggest impact.”

Virginia Hosono, director of Study Abroad and International Travel, explains that study abroad not only allows students to see the world and experience different educational systems, but it also affords students the opportunity to use their critical and creative thinking skills while immersed in other cultures. Study Abroad further benefits students’ career opportunities by providing more life experiences and personal connections. Indeed, students who study abroad are two times more likely to find employment within 12 months of graduation. One goal for the Office of Study Abroad is to continue to work closely with other departments on campus to make international experiences an integral part of the curriculum.

Through all of its work, the center’s core objective is straightforward – to improve the world through education, research, outreach and engagement.

The center has hit a number of milestones throughout its 70 years, including:

• George Brodschi founded the center in 1949 with a vision of having a place where international people, like himself, could call their own.
• The Board of Trustees appointed Brodschi as the director that same year. At the time, his appointment was for a one-year trial period. The center had two international students – from Peru and Bolivia.
• In 1950, the American International Relations Club was created to promote cultural awareness among students on campus.
• From 1959 to 1960, Dr. Brodschi’s long-planned project – a separate building for the International Center – was realized with funds from friends of the IC, prominent builder Maria Pantoja and architect Arthur Tafel. The building was completed in 1970.
• In 1980, after the building was remodeled into two parts – the International Student and Scholar Services on the top floor and the Office of Study Abroad on the first floor.
• In 1992, the International Center was at risk of being eliminated due to budget cuts, but because of student protests and an outpouring of support from other universities and businesses, the proposal was dismissed.
• In 2018, Kimber Guinn, a study abroad adviser, went to Romania for a year to teach English through a Fulbright Award.

For Beard, the biggest milestone remains the actual creation of the center.

“Having a center dedicated to global perspectives is a pretty big milestone and especially in 1949,” he said.

Since 1994, the ISSS office has had approximately 14,648 students come through its doors – an average of more than 90 countries represented on campus each year. And, the number of students who participated in international activities has increased by 200 percent since 2005/06.

“Seventy years is a big milestone and I hope we keep growing as we progress for the next several years,” Beard said.

The center’s goals for the next several years are to simply make “global” a part of UofL’s identity and to find ways in which to bring international and education-abroad students’ voices to the UofL community.

“The center is an integral part of the mission and vision at UofL,” Beard said. “UofL still has much progress to make if we hope to fulfill our mission of inclusiveness. Local and global cannot be exclusive of one another if we are to be ubiquitously recognized as a great place to learn, work and invest because we celebrate diversity, foster equity and strive for inclusion.”

The International Center plans a formal celebration to mark its 70^th anniversary in the fall. More information will be available soon.

In the Fall of 2016, there were a total of 1,033 student scholars on campus, including 244 from China and 173 from India.

During the week of Nov. 13-17, the university will celebrate International ����ֱ�� Week, recognizing the benefits of international education and exchange.

The joint initiative between the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Department of ����ֱ�� functions to “promote programs that prepare Americans for a global environment and attract future leaders from abroad to study, learn and exchange experiences in the U.S.” IEW was first held in 2000 and is now celebrated in more than 100 countries.

To mark the occasion, UofL will host a number of events, from a salsa night to a workshop to a Thanksgiving dinner. The full schedule is below:

• From Nov. 13-17, the International Center Exhibit will be displayed at Ekstrom Library, east side. It includes the history of the center.
• On Monday from 2-3 p.m., a Q&A session will be held to answer travel questions, hosted by the International Student and Scholar Services. It will include dessert, coffee, hot chocolate and raffle prizes.
• On Tuesday from 12:30-2:30 p.m., the International Luncheon will be held on the Health Sciences Campus, CTR Building, Room 124. This event is co-sponsored by the Office of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies and the ISSS.
• On Wednesday from 3-5 p.m., an Immigration Workshop covering current trends and outcomes will be held on Shumaker, Room 139. It is co-sponsored by J. Gregory Clare Law Offices and ISSS.
• On Thursday from noon to 1 p.m., the International Luncheon will be held in Bigelow Hall, Room 1316. This event is co-sponsored by the Dean of Students Office and the ISSS.
• Also Thursday, Salsa Night will be held at the Red Barn from 6-9 p.m. This event is hosted by the American International Relations Club.
• Finally, on Friday from 6:30-9:30 p.m., a Thanksgiving Dinner will be held at the Red Barn, hosted by the Organization Assisting and Serving International Students.

All events are free and open to students, faculty and staff.

According to NAFSA: Association of International Educators, international students and their dependents contributed $36.9 billion go the U.S. economy during the 2016-17 academic year.��

For more information about International ����ֱ�� Week, .��

Also, save the date for the International Center’s Get Connected and Resource Fair, January 4 at noon at the Red Barn.