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Host Families Help Lindsey Wilson University's International Students Go Beyond the Campus

Program gives students another glimpse of American life, culture and holidays.

by Duane Bonifer

COLUMBIA, Ky. (09/02/2025) — After Charles and Jeanne Marshburn's children grew up and moved away, their home felt a little empty.

So for more than a decade, the Adair County couple have filled their home by opening it to Lindsey Wilson University's international students.

The Marshburns are among nearly two dozen area families who are serving as host families this school year to Lindsey Wilson's international students. This school year, Lindsey Wilson has more than 125 international students enrolled from more than 40 countries.

While not all of the international students choose to take advantage of the host family program, the ones who do soon discover that it is a good way to not only feel more comfortable studying in a foreign land but a great way to learn more about America.

International Student Programs Coordinator Robert King said that Lindsey Wilson international students who are placed with host families often discover a host of benefits. The international students continue to live in Lindsey Wilson housing, but the host families agree to meet with them a couple times a semester, and they often invite the students to celebrate holidays and other special days in their homes.

"Our students really appreciate that they have a place off campus where they can go because it gives them a much-appreciated break from campus life," said King, who coordinates the host families program. "And they often discover so much more about American life and culture as well. One example is holidays. Some of our host families have their students over to their homes to celebrate Thanksgiving, which obviously is a holiday they don't celebrate in other countries. So the students get to experience a new holiday and learn all about it."

The Marshburns are among the host families who have invited Lindsey Wilson international students into their home to celebrate holidays and other milestone events.

While fellowship and the sharing of American traditions are part of their motivation for being a host family, Jeanne Marshburn said "the most rewarding experience is watching the students develop while they are here."

"It's amazing to watch them develop while they are at Lindsey Wilson," she said. "It's just been so wonderful. And it's really cool when they reach out to us and stay in touch after they have left Lindsey Wilson."

This school year, the Marshburns are hosting Rebekah Burnside, who is from Northern Ireland. Burnside will study at Lindsey Wilson for only a year as part of an exchange program. She will then return to her home in Lurgan, which is about 20 minutes from Northern Ireland's capital, Belfast.

"I think it's a really good opportunity to have a host family," said Burnside "It's really good to have supportive people from the community. It's nice to learn about different cultures as well and explore other areas of the state."

Lindsey Wilson University is a vibrant liberal arts university in Columbia, Kentucky. Founded in 1903 and affiliated with The United Methodist Church, the mission of Lindsey Wilson is to serve the educational needs of students by providing a living-learning environment within an atmosphere of active caring and Christian concern where every student, every day, learns and grows and feels like a real human being. Lindsey Wilson offers 28 undergraduate majors, five graduate programs and a doctoral program. The university's 29 intercollegiate varsity athletic teams have won more than 120 team and individual national championships.

Media Attachments

Some of this year’s Lindsey Wilson University international students are joined by their host families on Saturday, Aug. 30, before heading to the Columbia-Adair County Farmers Market on the Square.

Lindsey Wilson University student Rebekah Burnside of Northern Ireland, left, talks with Jeannie Marshburn of Adair County on Saturday, Aug. 30, before heading over to the Columbia-Adair County Farmers Market on the Square, where they were joined by Marshburn’s husband, Charles.

LWU Host Families 03 -- Meg Dixon of Columbia, right, talks with Lindsey Wilson University students, from left, SeHee Jang of South Korea, Kyoka Sato of Japan, and Hayeon Kim of South Korea on Saturday, Aug. 30.

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