Message from the Office of the President: Update on ICE guidance

July 7, 2020

From the Office of the President

Dear students, faculty, and staff,

I hope you are well. As our fall semester approaches, the pace of our ongoing planning for contingencies is picking up. We are excited to continue our education mission with the health, safety, and continued success of our students, staff, and faculty as our top priority.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Guidance for International Students

Yesterday, ICE issued guidance specific to the Student and Exchange Visitor Program that does not allow international students in the U.S. to be enrolled in a fully online curriculum and would require these students to leave the country. Many of you have reached out with questions and concerns. Along with the Association of American Universities and the Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities, we stand with our international students. Universities across the United States are incorporating online education into their course content as we all do our part to control the spread of the COVID-19 virus. International students should not be penalized for the public health measures that the Federal Government, via the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and our own Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) are suggesting as virus control measures.

In support of our international students, we are:

  • Reviewing our fall semester hybrid instruction (both in-person and online) so that we can accommodate in-person classes where required to ensure compliance with this new guidance.
  • Working with our International Student and Scholar Services team to build a coordinated response from the University.
  • Identifying resources across our system to help our international students, including those provided by our Immigration Response Team.

Our commitment, to all of our students, will not waver.

Twin Cities July Term

Our July-mester has begun on the Twin Cities campus and will span the final weeks of the summer session. It offers students the opportunity to take courses that may not fit with their regular academic schedule, to accelerate or catch up on coursework during the summer, or offset their course load for the fall. In addition, these classes give us an opportunity to test and refine the processes that we will be using this fall in response to continued guidance from MDH and the CDC. More information is available at z.umn.edu/JulyTerm.

Board of Regents Meeting

The Board of Regents is meeting July 8-9 for their annual working retreat. The full agenda is on the Regents website and you can watch the entire meeting online. The Board will be discussing the University’s proposed early retirement incentive program, several real estate transactions, and necessary changes to our Title IX program as a result of new Federal requirements. We will have an update later this week on the meeting and the results of the retreat.

In Closing

This summer has been unusual to say the least, but I hope you find time to recharge. We are grounded in our firm commitment to prioritize the health, safety, and security of our students, faculty, and staff while fulfilling our University mission. In that spirit, please prioritize your own health.

Be safe, be well, and enjoy the summer.

With warmest wishes,

Joan Gabel