Indiana University President Michael A. McRobbie has issued the following statement about the executive order on immigration signed Friday, Jan. 27:
“At Indiana University, we embrace openness to the world. This has long been a hallmark of great global universities such as ours that seek to attract the best students, scholars and researchers from every country and champion the cause of greater cultural understanding.
“The executive order issued on Friday that bars citizens and refugees from certain countries from entering the U.S. is contrary to the very core of our values as an institution committed to excellence and innovation, a diversity of community and ideas, respect for the dignity of others and engagement in the economic, civic, cultural and social development of our state, our nation and our world.
“IU’s educational, research and service missions are inextricably bound with the rest of the world and rooted in a belief in the ever-increasing value of international literacy and experience. This is why we urge the administration to end this executive order, which threatens to disrupt these missions, as quickly as possible. We also would encourage the administration to make it clear to the rest of the world that our nation’s colleges and universities will continue to open their doors to the best and brightest scholars and researchers who, through their teaching, discoveries and innovations, play a vital role in enhancing our nation’s economic competitiveness and prosperity.
“The directives contained in this executive order will have a considerable impact on IU’s international students and scholars, many of whom are feeling frightened and unsettled, interfering with their travel plans and other commitments. In response, we are advising that all of our international students and scholars allow plenty of time for visa processing, as wait times are expected to increase, and we are also strongly recommending that citizens of the seven countries targeted for new visitation restrictions not travel to any country outside the U.S. at this time.
“We recognize the critical importance of a strong and effective visa process to protecting our national security, which is why we continue to support collaborative efforts that ensure our visa system prevents entry from anyone who wishes to harm Americans.
“At the same time, we remain committed to doing all that we can within the bounds of the law to vigorously protect and support IU students, faculty and staff. Additionally, we will continue to provide counseling to students on immigration-related concerns through our Office of International Services, which is maintaining a new webpage with current information and advice, while we intensify our advocacy for expanded access to higher education for all IU students living in the U.S.
“We will conduct all of our actions in pursuit of our enduring mission: to educate our students for active, engaged and committed citizenship, prepare them for public service and contribute to the building of civil society around the globe.”