At Washington University, we are committed to fostering a diverse, global academic community. The faculty and students who come to us from around the world play a vital role in making the university the exceptional institution it is today. We celebrate our international faculty and students, and are proud of their individual contributions both to our institution, and to American higher education more broadly.
We are deeply concerned by any action of the United States government to prevent entire segments of the academic community from traveling into the country as students, teachers, researchers and scholars. The recent presidential proclamation directed at some Chinese scholars is only the most recent example of steps this administration has taken to make it more difficult for people to come here for purposes of education and research. We support efforts to safeguard our national security and to protect the country’s interests as a competitor in the global marketplace, but we are concerned about the sweeping nature of the proclamation.
We urge our leaders to further consider the extraordinary value our international scholars bring to advancing our national interests through their important contributions at our colleges and universities, and to allow them continued participation in our educational institutions. We will continue to seek out, recruit, invite and welcome talented students, faculty and staff to our campus from around the globe.
