WEST LAFAYETTE — Purdue is launching a pilot program this week to help acclimate new international undergraduate students and create more opportunities for Purdue students to develop individual friendships with students from different cultures.

Winter Welcome, which ran Wednesday to Sunday (Jan. 8-12), was part of the new Multinational Integration Xchange (MIX) program offered by the Office of International Programs. Winter Welcome will pair current Purdue students with 148 new international students to help them adjust to American campus life prior to classes beginning.

“Purdue is 22 percent international by design, and MIX is another way to support a campus that is culturally welcoming,” said David Ayers, associate dean of International Programs. “The international experience is part of the educational experience at Purdue, and that is something students cannot get everywhere. It's a lost opportunity if a Purdue student leaves here without making a friend from another culture.”