The
Trump administration’s decision to end the DACA (Deferred Action for
Childhood Arrivals) program, announced yesterday, is a matter of grave
concern to our colleagues in higher education as well as many Americans
of all walks of life. I wanted today to reiterate my commitment, and
that of Virginia Wesleyan University, to inclusiveness and acceptance of
those seeking academic and life success at our institution and others.
Last November, I joined 653 of my fellow presidents at colleges and universities around the country urging that the DACA program be “upheld, continued, and expanded.” We wrote then, and maintain our belief now, that “(DACA) is both a moral imperative and a national necessity.” It is therefore deeply disappointing to us in the higher-education community—as I believe it should be to all Americans who value the social, economic, and cultural benefits of DACA to our nation—that the administration has chosen not a forward-looking path, but a punitive one.
Congress has six months in which to enact legislation to address the issues that affect some 800,000 individuals who have sought to pursue the American dream. We stand in sympathy with those aspiring citizens, and we urge our leaders in the Congress to pass responsible, humane legislation that will preserve access to our institutions of higher education and other avenues that will ensure that those who are registered for DACA or defined as “undocumented” may continue to make contributions to America that are already, indeed, documented and valued.
Below are links to several posts by professional associations that may be informative, and I assure you that Virginia Wesleyan will continue to monitor these developments and keep you informed of any potential impact on our campus community.
Last November, I joined 653 of my fellow presidents at colleges and universities around the country urging that the DACA program be “upheld, continued, and expanded.” We wrote then, and maintain our belief now, that “(DACA) is both a moral imperative and a national necessity.” It is therefore deeply disappointing to us in the higher-education community—as I believe it should be to all Americans who value the social, economic, and cultural benefits of DACA to our nation—that the administration has chosen not a forward-looking path, but a punitive one.
Congress has six months in which to enact legislation to address the issues that affect some 800,000 individuals who have sought to pursue the American dream. We stand in sympathy with those aspiring citizens, and we urge our leaders in the Congress to pass responsible, humane legislation that will preserve access to our institutions of higher education and other avenues that will ensure that those who are registered for DACA or defined as “undocumented” may continue to make contributions to America that are already, indeed, documented and valued.
Below are links to several posts by professional associations that may be informative, and I assure you that Virginia Wesleyan will continue to monitor these developments and keep you informed of any potential impact on our campus community.
