A new person is welcoming international students to the Hill.

Larry Caillouet has stepped down as director of international programs and will start coordinating the hosting and housing of visiting scholars.

Robin Borczon, the assistant director of international programs, has been named interim director.

Caillouet will also teach in the communications department.

He could not be reached for comment.

Provost Barbara Burch said the personnel change came about with the “mutual agreement of everybody involved.”

Everyone’s interests and the international office’s priorities were considered in the decision, she said.

“There’s not anything that’s wrong,” Burch said.

Burch said Caillouet had been the director for about three years.

Caillouet had taken a leave of absence this semester.

The leave was at Caillouet’s request, Burch said.

Borczon had been in charge during the leave, Burch said.

President Gary Ransdell said he and Burch have not yet discussed naming a permanent director.

“Robin’s very capable, so there’s no real sense of urgency there,” Ransdell said.

Borczon, who had been assistant director since February 2002, said she will be doing more in terms of recruiting international students as interim director.

She said she will also make sure the university stays in compliance with immigration regulations and try to increase the number of students who study abroad.

“What I do love is international education and working with international students and study abroad programs,” she said.

Burch said that Caillouet will continue to work with international programs in his new role.

“Dr. Caillouet has contributed in many ways to helping building our international programs to their level of visibility,” she said.

Burch said the reassignments were made to sustain the university’s goal of internationalizing across different departments on campus “without a loss of momentum.”

“We’re going to be giving very, very serious attention to that in the next few weeks,” Burch said.

Reach Ashlee Clark at [email protected].