Statement from President Carolyn J. Stefanco Regarding Executive Order on Travel to U.S.

ALBANY (January 30, 2017) — This past weekend, President Trump issued an Executive Order limiting travel to the United States by individuals from select countries. I am in Washington, D.C., for a meeting of the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities and watched from my hotel room as history unfolded yesterday with protesters filling Pennsylvania Avenue to march for the values of opportunity and religious freedom.

The College of Saint Rose has welcomed students, faculty and staff from all faiths, backgrounds and nationalities for decades. We teach, learn from, nourish and enrich each other every day.

The results of the presidential election have elicited candid, heartfelt concerns from our current students and prospective students about their future and what they are feeling and experiencing.  Our international students have exhibited tremendous fortitude in pursuing their studies here.  We will continue to provide them with all of the support and resources they need to remain successful in their educational and personal journeys.  The U.S. system of higher education has been the first-choice destination for international students for many decades, due to the diversity of our institutions, the excellence of our offerings and the opportunity that an American degree offers.

Disagreement and debate are healthy traditions in our democratic society. It is through respectful dialogue that we challenge each other to grow and be stronger.

#

17-06