Furman suport regarding SEVP

Dear Faculty,

Please see the letter below I sent to our international students. I know you agree with me that we need to support our students individually and as a university. Thank you for your commitment to our students, and thanks especially to Candice Chan and Deborah Allen for their hard work and dedication, especially this week.

Warmly,

Elizabeth

Dear International Students,

The changes to the Student and Exchange Visitor Program that were announced Monday are anathema to Furman University’s mission to provide a world-class education of the highest order. I am personally troubled by them, and I am sure the announcement was upsetting and disappointing to you. I am writing now to assure you that Furman stands with you, and to tell you that we are doing everything in our power to ensure that you will be able to continue your studies at Furman.

Your Furman faculty and staff are your staunchest advocates, and we are all rallying to advocate in the strongest terms on your behalf. We are working in collaboration with other universities and with organizations that represent us nationally, including the NAFSA: Association of International Educators, the American Council on Education, the Institute for International Education and the American Association of Colleges & Universities, and many others. And I know that many faculty members have joined faculty from around the country in signing an open letter condemning the decision.

Leaders from across our campus have been engaged in designing a fall semester that, under the new guidelines, will be considered a hybrid model. We are planning for a blend of in-person, in-classroom learning with remote learning you can participate in on campus, in your residence halls or elsewhere. Candice Chan, your dean of International Admissions, and Deborah Allen, director of the Center for Inclusive Communities, will be in touch with you soon to share more details about the fall semester. In the meantime, if you have questions or concerns, please email Dean Chan at candice.chan@furman.edu. She will set up a time with you for a phone call if you would like.

It’s no secret that Furman is a beautiful university, but our beauty, and our value, would be diminished without our international students. We value, appreciate and respect you and the creative and intellectual contributions you make to campus life, to our academic and service programs, to the Greenville community, and wherever you go as representatives of Furman.

You are Furman Family, and your family supports you. I look forward to seeing you soon.

Warmly,

Elizabeth Davis

President