DICKINSON, N.D.

The snack bar at Dickinson State University, in one of the least diverse states in the country, is a melting pot. International students from Armenia to Zimbabwe speak their native languages as they contemplate such American fare as fried chicken warmed under a heat lamp.

For about a decade, the southwestern North Dakota school has been trolling globally to boost enrollment, and the number of international students has helped Dickinson State set an enrollment record of 2,462 students last fall.

But some Dickinson State students say the record hasn't come easy, and complain about diversity overload.

“Diversity is a good idea in theory, but right now it's not working out,” said Jami Arnold, a sixth-year senior and former Dickinson State student body president.

Arnold is one of about a dozen students publicly criticizing the university's Global Awareness Initiative, which recruits international students and faculty and makes scholarships available to qualified students.

“Honestly, at first it was really cool,” Arnold said. “But it's kind of like too much of a good thing. Now we're overwhelmed with diversity.”

A survey of 700 colleges and universities last year found that 60 percent are working to recruit international students to boost enrollment, said Peggy Blumenthal, executive vice president of the New York-based Institute of International Education.

About 583,000 international students were enrolled in U.S. colleges and universities last year, up 3 percent from the previous school year, she said. Students from other countries contributed more than $14 billion to the U.S. economy last year, through tuition and other expenses, Blumenthal said.

In 2000, Dickinson State had 20 international students from six countries. Last fall, the school reported 396 international students from 31 countries. China, with 167 students enrolled this year, tops the list, followed by Mongolia, Canada, the Bahamas and Russia.