Emailed on January 30th, 2017

Dear MSU Community,

As many of you are aware, last Friday President Donald Trump signed an executive order temporarily suspending nonimmigrants and immigrants of seven countries from entering the United States. The executive order suspends the issuance of visas and other immigration benefits to nationals from Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan Syria and Yemen. At Montana State University, we have current and prospective students, faculty and staff who are being impacted by the executive order.

This last weekend, the MSU Office of International Programs, the MSU Office of the Provost, as well as the MSU Division of Student Success have been working diligently to understand the implications of the executive order and to reach out to those members of our campus community who we know are directly affected. Your university will continue to monitor the situation and we will develop the best options to support our diverse and global family. Our students, faculty and staff impacted by the executive order should not be concerned about the safety of their job or place at Montana State University, due to the provisions of the aforementioned order. 

We strongly encourage our international students, scholars and staff to speak with an adviser from our Office of International Programs prior to travel outside the United States. You may contact the MSU Office of International Programs by phone at (406) 994-4031 or [email protected] for the latest information and assistance related to international travel. Regardless of your visa or residency status, we will work closely with you and offer every support we have available at our university.

This is a good time for all of us to come together as one Montana State University community: one in which every member is truly appreciated and valued. Every day, in everything we do at Montana State, we affirm our longstanding commitment to be a safe, welcoming and inclusive environment where all feel at home. MSU's values are far more than words on a statement: they provide us with indispensable direction and principles that define the past, the present and the future of our institution.

As a world-class research institution of higher education, we at Montana State firmly believe our university is enriched and strengthened by the talent, insight and culture that all students, faculty, researchers and staff offer. This conviction, of course, is extended to individuals who were not born within our state and national frontiers: this conviction includes the world. 

As always, I welcome questions, comments or concerns about this or any other matter. 

Sincerely,

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Waded Cruzado

 

The Association of Public & Land-Grant Universities (APLU) has also released a statement you can read on their website.