Dear Forum members,
As you likely know by now, President Trump has issued an executive order, titled “Protecting the Nation From Foreign Terrorist Entry Into the United States.” This order effectively suspends visas to people from Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen, and ultimately impacts the ability of students, professors, and international education colleagues from these countries to travel to the United States.
The Forum is strongly against President Trump’s actions, which run counter to the international education values that we work so hard to achieve.
We recommend that Forum member institutions follow NAFSA’s recommendations regarding international students and scholars as found on its website.
Additionally, we encourage you to share with The Forum stories of any education abroad students who are impacted by the executive order. We would like to use these in support of our advocacy efforts. Please send any such anecdotes to Lindsay McCauslin, Associate Director for Member Communications, at mccausll@forumea.org. You may also want to consider communicating the impact of the executive order directly with your state and local representatives.
The Forum will continue to assist its members in any way it can. We will continue to work with other international education organizations, including NAFSA and the Alliance for International Educational and Cultural Exchange, to respond collectively and resolutely in upholding the values that we share.
As always, please do not hesitate to contact us directly if you have any questions, comments, or concerns.
Thank you for all that you do on a daily basis to support our shared goals.
Sincerely,
Brian Whalen, President and CEO
Mary Anne Grant, Chair, Forum Board of Directors
Nick Gozik, Chair, Forum Council
