Suffolk University announced its plan to strengthen international recruitment efforts by joining forces with INTO University Partnerships, a private global education company that focuses on enlisting and preparing new students to study in America, this past August.

The collaboration resulted in the formation of INTO Suffolk, LLC, which is a jointly owned company that aims to bolster the university’s longstanding status as a hub for international students.

Last week, more than 100 members of INTO Suffolk’s global network of recruiters in Boston came to the University for a familiarization visit and to celebrate the new partnership. INTO recruitment officers scouted the location and got acquainted with the university’s metropolitan campus.

“The new venture is designed to help Suffolk respond to vast and growing international demand for global higher education,” University Spokesman Greg Gatlin stated in a press release.

A six-person board of directors will preside over the newly formed limited liability company. The board is made up of three representatives chosen by INTO and three representatives from Suffolk chosen by Acting President Marisa Kelly.  Senior Vice President for Finance and Administration and Treasurer Laura Sander, Acting Provost Sebastian Royo and Chief Marketing Officer Dan Esdale were chosen by Kelly to govern INTO Suffolk, LLC, on the university’s behalf.

Members of the Board will oversee decisions made by the company, but in the case of a stalemate between board members, an agreement was made that all academic and admissions decisions will ultimately be decided by Suffolk’s board members, while marketing and recruitment decisions will be decided by INTO if the governing board cannot reach a consensus on pertaining issues.

The University signed a 15-year contract with INTO with the option to extend the agreement for an

additional 15 years, Acting President Marisa Kelly said during an interview in August.

“I think that the goal is to meet the target and make sure not only that it benefits us for 15 years, but to extend it another 15 years,” said Acting Provost Sebastian Royo, who will be overseeing the academic aspects of the INTO partnership .

“It’s hard to imagine, the record that they have so far has been quite spectacular,” said Royo. “[INTO is] really excited about the fact that they are in Boston. They really think they can bring students to Suffolk and Boston.

“I see us building on our already strong commitment to international education,” said Kelly. “The fact that students from Chelsea, Braintree and California sit in class with students from around the world is one of the ways in which we can ensure they are ready for the diversity in the world they live in. Fifteen years from now, we will build on that and have an even richer international institution.”

According to the release, INTO Suffolk, LLC, will extend Suffolk’s global recruitment potential by giving the university access to INTO’s network of recruitment staff in more than 75 countries worldwide.

The new entity’s expenses will be covered completely by the inaugural class of INTO Suffolk, LLC, students, the first of which will arrive on Suffolk’s campus this spring. After the expenses of the new venture are covered, the financial profits of the third entity company will be equally shared by the university and INTO, according to Kelly.

“Rather than seeing this as a relationship with a vendor, this is really about a not-for-profit entity, Suffolk University, coming together with a separate corporate entity, INTO, and creating a third organization that will support the educational needs of international students who need additional educational training around the English language,” Kelly said.

Pathway courses will be taught by Suffolk faculty to students brought to the University by INTO Suffolk, LLC, to help them better their English language skills and prepare them for university-level study. An academic English pathway course will be taught to students that need to ready their language skills for Suffolk’s degree programs, while Undergraduate and Graduate Pathway programs will develop student’s English skills while they work toward their respective degrees.

“INTO shares our deep commitment to strong academic programs — Pathway programs that prepare international students for the rigors of a Suffolk education and increase the prospect of educational success as students move through them,” Kelly stated in the release.

Suffolk University is the tenth American university to partner with INTO and the first in New England-area school to do so. Other universities that have partnerships with INTO include George Mason, Oregon State, Washington State, Colorado State University and Saint Louis University.

“They are going to help us diversify the international students so we have more from different countries,” Royo said. “But at the same time, the students will be better prepared. Through the pathway programs, not only will they improve their english skills, but they will be better prepared for regular classes.”