Navigating the Intersection of Immigration and Higher Education

As colleges and universities navigate a rapidly changing geopolitical and policy environment, boards of trustees play a critical role in shaping their institution’s mission, stability, and future. This webinar will explore the complex intersection of immigration and higher education — focusing on the experiences and policy contexts of international students, visa pathways such as H-1B, refugee and displaced students, undocumented learners, and other non-citizen communities that are part of today’s campuses.

Drawing on the Presidents’ Alliance’s research, policy analysis, and campus resources, this session will provide a comprehensive, strategic lens through which trustees can understand challenges, opportunities, and institutional responsibilities.

Attendees will gain:

• A clear overview of the different student, scholar, other employee populations affected by immigration policy and how they are represented across campuses (international students, refugee/displaced students, undocumented students, DACA recipients, and visa-holders beyond study).
• An understanding of recent and emerging federal policy trends, including changes related to student visas and status duration, visa-revocation risks, H-1B and other work-visa pathways, DACA recipients and undocumented students, and humanitarian protections, along with how these shifts may affect student enrollment, student and employee recruitment and retention, and institutional risk.
• An appreciation of successful messaging about the economic, academic, research, and community contributions these populations bring — and why supporting and retaining global and immigrant talent is integral to institutional planning, workforce development, and campus mission.
• An analysis of practical considerations for trustees and campus leaders seeking to ensure welcoming, inclusive, and legally compliant campus practices — including safeguarding student and data privacy, ensuring equitable access, and strengthening support systems for immigration-impacted populations.
• Opportunities for forward-looking discussions of how demographic shifts, global competition for talent, and ongoing immigration policy uncertainty may shape the future of U.S. higher education at the campus, state, and national levels, including ways to foster civil discourse through Braver Angels-supported
  conversations on campuses.

Speakers:

TBA