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University statement on Supreme Court ruling regarding the president's executive order
University of Nebraska-Lincoln spokesman Steve Smith issued the following statement June 26, following the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling that partially stayed injunctions regarding the Trump administration’s executive order.
“The Supreme Court’s action today does not affect scholars, employees, or students at Nebraska. The court’s action gives specific guidance regarding students admitted to universities; in the language of the ruling, our students’ relationships with the university clearly are ‘formal, documented and formed in the ordinary course.’”
Date Issued
Monday, June 26, 2017 - 14:15Letter to the university system on the president's executive order
To the Students, Faculty and Staff of the University of Nebraska system:
Today we’re reflecting on the inscription on our Statue of Liberty.
“Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free…”
For us this quote represents the enormous promise and privilege of living in a great country like ours. It moves us to be compassionate toward our fellow human beings. And it is a reminder of why America – and its universities – have long been symbols of hope for people around the world.
As this country has been before, we’re in a period of significant change and uncertainty. The president’s executive order temporarily banning entry into the U.S. by citizens of seven countries has added to that uncertainty. Some of you have written to us directly to express your concerns about how the ban could affect the safety and well-being of our students, faculty and staff.
We share those concerns. We are unanimous in our view that this executive order is disturbing and disruptive to our students and employees. It does not represent the values of the University of Nebraska. And we join leaders of universities around the country in urging that it be promptly reconsidered.
About 150 members of our university family, including both students and faculty, come from the countries named in the ban. We have been working diligently to communicate with those individuals and to offer them critical guidance and support. We’re advising them to delay travel outside of the U.S. for the time being and to contact their campus international affairs office for assistance.
Together our campuses make up a richly diverse community of scholars from around the globe, representing countless ethnicities, faiths, backgrounds and academic disciplines – all brought together by a common desire to learn, to create a better future, and to use the power of education to change the world.
Our diversity is what makes the University of Nebraska an outstanding institution of higher learning. Universities like ours have a proud history of serving as talent magnets, where the best minds come to the table to solve the world’s biggest challenges.
Today those challenges are great. Cancer, hunger, poverty, infectious disease, climate change, national security, inequality. These demand the world’s best thinking. Now, more than ever, we must be more inclusive, not less. And universities should lead the way.
Our pledge to you is that the University of Nebraska will keep working every day to be the kind of place where all feel welcome, valued and safe. Where each student has access to an excellent education and our faculty and staff are able to pursue their world-class work.
That’s what our university stands for.
We thank you for the great privilege of serving with you.
Sincerely,
Hank M. Bounds, Ph.D., President, University of Nebraska system
John Christensen, Ph.D., Chancellor, University of Nebraska at Omaha
Jeffrey Gold, M.D., Chancellor, University of Nebraska Medical Center
Ronnie Green, Ph.D., Chancellor, University Nebraska - Lincoln
Doug Kristensen, J.D., Chancellor, University Nebraska at Kearney
Date Issued
Monday, January 30, 2017 - 16:30Letter from associate vice chancellor for international engagement at Nebraska
On Jan. 28, Sonia Feigenbaum, associate vice chancellor for international engagement and global strategies at Nebraska, sent the following letter to the university’s international students and scholars:
“We at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln are committed to supporting all members of our community. We are an inclusive, globally engaged university that has welcomed students and scholars from around the world for more than a century. We have built a university community that embraces cultural and linguistic diversity, and we have thrived by working toward a common goal to make the world better through education and research.
“On Jan. 28, 2017, President Trump signed an executive order that impacts immigration procedures for refugees and citizens from Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen. We are grateful to count among our international community more than 3,000 students and scholars from around the world and about 100 from the seven nations identified in the executive order.
“We write to express our unwavering commitment to all who may be affected by the measures stated in the executive order. If you are in the United States under an F-1, J-1, F-2, or J-2 visa status and you are from Iraq, Syria, Iran, Sudan, Libya, Somalia or Yemen, we strongly encourage you to not travel internationally in the immediate future, until we have additional information. If you are from any other country that is predominantly Muslim, you may want to follow the same precautions until more details are obtained.
“Late on Jan. 28, a federal judge in New York issued a stay on the president’s executive order. We will continue to update you with any new developments and will share information promptly. In the meantime, we remind you that the International Student and Scholar Office is available to meet with you for any questions or concerns you may have. The office is on the second floor of Seaton Hall and can be reached by phone at 402-472-0324 or by e-mail at isso@unl.edu.
Sonia Feigenbaum
Associate Vice Chancellor for International Engagement and Global Strategies
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Date Issued
Sunday, January 29, 2017 - 11:00Statement by the University of Nebraska-Lincoln on President Trump's executive order
Following President Trump’s executive order barring entry to the United States by those coming from seven Muslim-majority countries, the University of Nebraska-Lincoln issued the following statement and shared an advisory with its international community of scholars.
“All are welcome at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, including our 3,000 scholars and students from around the world. We are committed to helping all in our university community who may be impacted by the recent executive order. The university is advising those who may be impacted by the order to defer travel outside the United States until there is more clarity on the situation.”