Update (July 14, 2020): The Trump administration rescinded the policy described below in light of legal challenges from institutions of higher education. We remain vigilant and continue to stand firmly with our international students.
On Monday, July 6, United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) announced a change in policy affecting international students throughout the country. This abrupt change has caused enormous stress on members of our community, especially our international students, and introduced a great deal of uncertainty into many lives.
We stand firmly with our international students, and we will not waver in our effort to bring them from around the world to join our community of scholars. We will vigorously defend the right of our international students to continue their education with us. This is not only our duty springing from our deeply held commitment to the global nature of our educational mission. This is also our personal pledge. Our international students are integral and treasured members of the WashU family. We will support them and their educational goals to the utmost of our ability.
In the face of ICE’s ill-conceived policy change, we wish to reiterate that diversity of backgrounds, viewpoints, and experiences is a core dimension of academic excellence. International students are essential to the vitality of our university community and country. We will pursue clarification on the ICE directive and communicate new information to you as soon as possible.
Sincerely,
Feng Sheng Hu
Dean of the Faculty of Arts & Sciences
Lucille P. Markey Distinguished Professor
Jennifer R. Smith
Dean of the College of Arts & Sciences
Professor of Earth and Planetary Sciences
Laurie Maffly-Kipp
Archer Alexander Distinguished Professor in the John C. Danforth Center on Religion and Politics
Interim Dean of the Graduate School and Vice Provost for Graduate Education
