It didn’t come as a surprise to many that the percentage of students from outside of Illinois has increased when the enrollment numbers from the annual 10-day enrollment report were released by the Office of Undergraduate Admissions last week.

What did come as a surprise, however, was that the number of students from Illinois that enrolled in the University for the 2014-2015 school year has fallen, as well as the number of students in the class overall.

Has the University put more effort into recruiting students from across the ocean than in its own backyard? According to the numbers, that answer is yes.

The University has persistently voiced that one of its leading priorities is to create a diverse student body that encourages collaboration amongst the top students in the nation at a leading research institution. Of course a diverse student body allows every student at the University the opportunity to learn about other cultures, traditions and societies, which makes us well-rounded members of the workforce once we leave this campus. That cannot be argued.

However, where is the line for pushing diversity drawn? How long will the University continue to accept a rising number of international and out-of-state students? In 2006, 89 percent of the freshman class was from Illinois. Eight years later, that number has dropped to 71 percent.

There are students born and raised in the state of Illinois that are determined to become students at the Champaign-Urbana campus. Their families pay taxes throughout their children’s lives to support a university their child may one day attend — but these potential Illinois students are rolling in less and less frequently.

We understand that the University attracts international students and is a great institution to house a wide array of students. However, the University also needs to develop better systems for encouraging positive interactions between international and local students. Merely increasing the amount of international students, by itself, does little to achieve the productive, diverse learning experience the University seeks to foster.

Assuredly, the bigger issues remain the lessening return on investment enjoyed by Illinois taxpayers and the University’s slipping grasp on its position as an attractive educational option for Illinois residents.

We believe in diversity and we believe in building a cohesive culture with students from around the world. It opens our minds, pushes the envelope in research and in the work we do. But we also believe in helping students from Illinois attend the university of their dreams, learn from one of the leading universities in the nation and bring that knowledge back to their hometowns. This will build a generation that changes the state, the nation and the world.