On Friday, President Donald J. Trump issued an executive order regarding immigration and the banning of refugees into the United States. This order affects our international community here at Ferris State University and compromises the opportunities for study abroad, international travel, and the employment and enrollment of faculty, staff and students from Iraq, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen. Our international students, faculty and staff are feeling a strong sense of uncertainty over their futures here and the lives they have built for themselves and their families.
At Ferris State University, we fully welcome and embrace our international community. Our founders, Woodbridge and Helen Ferris, welcomed international students on our campus in the early 1900s. We will continue to be a university where we welcome and value global diversity. Provost Paul Blake will host a meeting this week in coordination with the Office of International Education and the Diversity and Inclusion Office to visit with international students, faculty and staff. Together we will address concerns and provide support as we continue to learn more about how this executive order will affect those working and studying here at Ferris State University.
Our core values remain at the heart of this institution and its commitment to opportunity,
diversity and equality for all. Together we will work through this period of uncertainty
and provide the support and assistance our international students, faculty and staff
need during this challenging time. ;
David Eisler
President, Ferris State University