“We stand ready to work with federal officials to address security concerns regarding Chinese or any international students. However, we fear that applying a broad brush of suspicion to such a large group sends a message that our nation no longer welcomes talented students and scholars from across the globe.
Some one million international students attend U.S. colleges and universities annually, contributing greatly to this country’s intellectual and cultural vibrancy, and they also yield an estimated economic impact of $36.9 billion and support 450,000 U.S. jobs. Federal data shows that Chinese students alone contributed $12.55 billion to our national economy in 2016.
As reported, this new policy would be bad for institutions and bad for the nation. While apparently aimed at Chinese students in certain STEM fields, this would have a chilling effect on our ability to attract international students from all countries. These students have been critical to research that supports U.S. economic growth and fuels innovation. We are anxious to do our part to ensure that America’s national and economic security is protected, while at the same time preserving the U.S. as a destination of choice for the world’s best and brightest students and scholars.”