Some recent news out of Oregon State University suggests how the university is reaching out beyond this country's borders to find new students. It's a worthy goal, and one that makes good sense for OSU and Corvallis.

Earlier this month, OSU administrators signed memoranda of understanding with officials of various Iraqi universities, paving the way for as many as 100 engineering students from Iraq to attend Oregon State.

Last summer, OSU announced that it was partnering with a private company based in London to help funnel more

international students to its Corvallis campus.

It makes sense for Oregon State to increase the number of foreign students at the university, and the reasons why range from the altruistic to the eminently practical.

For one thing, the number of foreign students at Oregon State has dropped by half over the last decade. Last summer, the number of international students had fallen to about 5 percent of the student body. OSU would like that number to be closer to 9 percent.

Having a broader range of students on campus is good for students, faculty and staff - but it also pays dividends for Corvallis. It makes us a more interesting community.

But there are practical reasons as well why it makes sense for the university to work on recruiting more foreign students. As it develops its partnership with the London company, Into University Partnerships, OSU hopes eventually to attract as many as 650 new students. Each would pay out-of-state tuition, which approaches $20,000 a year. Under the terms of the agreement, OSU and Into would split those tuition fees. Even with the split, the deal seems as if it could pencil out nicely for OSU.

It's worth noting as well that under the agreement with the Iraqi universities, the students attending OSU would have scholarships provided by the Iraqi government.

At a time when the university is struggling to deal with cutbacks in the state support it receives, it makes sense financially to explore deals with foreign students and institutions.

But, of course, it makes sense from another perspective as well:

At a university that prides itself on graduating students capable of competing anyplace in the world, it's a good thing to bring a little bit more of the world to the campus.