"I think that there has been a slight shift in how international students and their families look at US colleges "
I agree; the shift has been gradual.
“Many LACs have been known internationally for a long period”
I also agree. Another example is Madam Chiang who was a graduate of Wellesley like 100 years ago. As a result, the % of international Chinese students at Wellesley today is relatively high.
My earlier statement was more about “on average” midwestern LACs have a lower degree of international interests and it is likely to persist for a while.