The Future of Education in Trump’s America

I just wanted to let you know that one of our prospective students decided not to proceed with her application for the USA. Roya has two passports – a German and Iranian, and the family is worried that she might have difficulties at the immigration office due to the new policy of President Trump.

Our student recruitment office recently sent us this message from Germany. Trump’s thoughtless and damaging executive order has had many unexpected and disheartening mass effects. Yet this was the first of many personal ones: we were directly facing the consequences of our president’s discrimination.

I have a personal friend from Iran who is also named Roya. She is a bit older than our German/Iranian student, having come to study in the US over 20 years ago. Today Roya runs her own dental clinic in Boston and teaches at Tufts Dental School. She is one of the most highly accomplished, yet still gracious and modest, people I know.

How many Royal will America lose before Trump gets the self-control to stop playing with executive orders like toys?

For proof of the damage to come, America’s education system needs only look at the statistics. 50% of Ph.D. candidates are foreign-born. Thus, the overall economy is fueled by billions of dollars spent every year by over a million international students. Almost half of the innovative “unicorn” companies in Silicon Valley have a foreign-born co-founder.

Peter Thiel, one of the founders of PayPal and a Trump supporter, was himself an international student who transferred to an American university. Today, however, he seems to be able to successfully ignore, or not fully understand, what consequences the ban will have on America. The privilege of being able to do this, of course, comes from him being able to come to America and build his company and security.

Fortunately, forty-eight American universities came together and decided to act. In their official letter to President Trump, they “urge” Trump to rectify the situation, for the quickly apparent fact that “the order threatens both American higher education and the defining principles of our country.” If he is not willing to listen to the top educational institutions in the world, who will he listen to?

A Message to the President

The following letter by forty-eight US university presidents and chancellors was sent to President Trump on February 2, 2017. —The Editors

President Donald J. Trump

The White House

United States of America

Dear President Trump:

We write as presidents of leading American colleges and universities to urge you to rectify or rescind the recent executive order closing our country’s borders to immigrants and others from seven majority-Muslim countries and to refugees from throughout the world. If left in place, the order threatens both American higher education and the defining principles of our country.

The order specifically prevents talented, law-abiding students and scholars from the affected regions from reaching our campuses. American higher education has benefited tremendously from this country’s long history of embracing immigrants from around the world. Their innovations and scholarship have enhanced American learning, added to our prosperity, and enriched our culture. Many who have returned to their own countries have taken with them the values that are the lifeblood of our democracy. America’s educational, scientific, economic, and artistic leadership depends upon our continued ability to attract the extraordinary people who for many generations have come to this country in search of freedom and a better life.

This action unfairly targets seven predominantly Muslim countries in a manner inconsistent with America’s best principles and greatest traditions. We welcome outstanding Muslim students and scholars from the United States and abroad, including the many who come from the seven affected countries. Their vibrant contributions to our institutions and our country exemplify the value of the religious diversity that has been a hallmark of American freedom since this country’s founding. The American dream depends on continued fidelity to that value.

We recognize and respect the need to protect America’s security. The vetting procedures already in place are rigorous. Improvements to them should be based on evidence, calibrated to real risks, and consistent with constitutional principles.

Throughout its history, America has been a land of opportunity and a beacon of freedom in the world. It has attracted talented people to our shores and inspired people around the globe. This executive order is dimming the lamp of liberty and staining the country’s reputation. We respectfully urge you to rectify the damage done by this order.

Sincerely,

Robert L. Barchi, Joanne Berger-Sweeney, Lee C. Bollinger, et al.