History of International Students at LSU
In the late 19th and early 20th century, LSU had a world-renowned agricultural and sugar sciences program. This was not by accident. LSU’s presidents of the time decided to target international students by publishing several news advertisements and pamphlets that pitched LSU’s excellence in academics and in agriculture. President David Boyd first created pamphlets targeting international students in the 1870s, with pamphlets being created in German, French and Italian languages under his presidency.[1]
His successor and brother, President Thomas D. Boyd, continued this attempt to reach international students by aggressively targeting Spanish-speaking students through additional pamphlets, brochures, and newspaper advertisements.[2] There were many sugar plantations throughout the Western Hemisphere, especially in the Caribbean and Latin America. LSU’s Audubon Sugar School served as the closest school to these students with much international renown, although there were also world-renowned sugar schools run by Belgium and Germany.[3]
While it is difficult to pinpoint LSU’s first international student, the first recorded occurrence of an international student attending LSU was in 1896 from Mexico.[4] In the years after 1896, more international students would attend LSU, especially students from Latin American countries. A good portion of these students would attend the Audubon Sugar School.