Supporting Boston University’s International Community—Q&A with President Melissa Gilliam and Willis Wang, Head of Global Operations
BU President Melissa Gilliam and Willis Wang, vice president and associate provost for Global Programs. Photos by Janice Checchio and Jackie Ricciardi
Supporting Boston University’s International Community—Q&A with President Melissa Gilliam and Willis Wang, Head of Global Operations
“You matter deeply to us. Boston University would not be what it is without you,” Gilliam tells international students and scholars
From its early days, Boston University has been a destination for students from around the world. One of its earliest known international students was Takeo Kikuchi, who became the first Japanese graduate of the BU School of Law in 1877 and later cofounded Chuo University in Tokyo. This uniting of global scholars has helped to infuse an international flair to the campus community, as the variety of backgrounds and perspectives brings a day-to-day cultural experience that is as much a part of the fabric of the University community as Commonwealth Avenue, the Green Line, Kenmore Square, ice hockey, and Rhett.
Today, BU serves students from nearly 150 countries, both large and small—from China, India, France, Canada, and Brazil to Saudi Arabia, Vietnam, Ghana, Peru, and Singapore, to name only a few. Recent news and actions by the federal government have raised questions about their impact on BU’s broad international community of students, staff, and faculty.
To that end, we posed a series of questions to President Melissa Gilliam and to Willis Wang, vice president and associate provost for Global Programs, about the history and values the University places on the education of its global citizens, as well as how BU is working to support its international community members.
Q&A
With Melissa Gilliam and Willis Wang
BU Today: Let’s start with a little history. For more than a century, Boston University has embraced the idea of a global population. Why has that been so important to BU and its broader mission through the years?
Melissa Gilliam: From our earliest days, Boston University has admitted students from all over the world because our founders believed that higher education should be accessible to all, regardless of background, gender identity, sexual orientation, or country of origin.
Moreover, our very identity as an academic institution has its origins in international education. In setting the course forward for Boston University, our first president, William Fairfield Warren, forged relationships with the leaders of the University of Athens and the University of Rome, who invited Boston University students to attend those institutions tuition-free.
The exchange of students, and their ideas, was deeply valued by all three institutions. In a letter to President Warren, the rector of the University of Rome wrote, “We desire that our relationships may be able mutually to assist each other in augmenting the intellectual forces of our two countries.”
We have come a long way since President Warren assumed the leadership in 1873. Boston University has grown into nothing short of an internationally recognized and respected institution, and I am committed to ensuring that our international footprint continues to enrich the lives of our students and alumni here in Boston and around the world.
BU Today: What do you think there is about having such an internationally diverse campus environment that specifically benefits the entire BU community and helps the learning and research environment thrive?
Gilliam: Our mission states that Boston University is dedicated to educating “students to be reflective, resourceful individuals ready to live, adapt, and lead in an interconnected world.”
You can’t do that, of course, if you don’t have the opportunity to engage with people from all different walks of life, with varying experiences and perspectives.
I have had the opportunity in my career to conduct research in places like India and have worked with colleagues in many countries, and some of my greatest lessons have been from my travels. And these perspectives challenged me, and forced me to think differently about the world, and to find solutions to problems with fresh eyes.
Too, Boston University has become a place where some of the best talent comes to pursue their studies, conduct research, create art, or compete in athletics. We are here to serve the dreams of all of our Terriers, no matter where they hail from.
BU Today: Many people are concerned about our international students and want to know what the University is doing to support them. Can you talk about this moment we’re in right now, how you think about what’s happening every day, and the approach BU is taking under your leadership?
Gilliam: This time in our country is a deeply uncertain one. Rapid changes to federal policies are calling into question many of the very foundational values and missions of colleges and universities nationwide. I know that many of our community members are afraid for themselves and concerned about their colleagues and friends.
I want you to know that we are fully committed to serving our faculty, staff, and students to the best of our ability, and that we have established many resources and protocols to support our community members who have questions regarding their visas and status.
I want you to know that we are fully committed to serving our faculty, staff, and students to the best of our ability, and that we have established many resources and protocols to support our community members who have questions regarding their visas and status.
I’ll let Willis talk about some of these in greater detail, but we’ve set up a variety of websites that we are frequently updating, we’ve held town halls, and issued other communications to ensure students are informed and supported.
Recently, we also began working with external immigration attorneys to provide eligible BU community members with legal consultations to discuss their current immigration status, and those consultations are provided at no cost to the individual.
BU Today: Can you discuss how BU is working to support international students and scholars through these times to make sure they feel welcomed here?
Willis Wang: Several University offices, schools, and colleges have been involved in supporting the international student community throughout the spring semester and many continue to do so into the summer term, including the International Students and Scholars Office (ISSO), Student Health Services, and the Dean of Students Office. The BU Support Pathways is one example of the type of resources provided and the efforts implemented to help our international students and scholars community feel welcomed, which include free legal consultation and various on-campus housing support. The ISSO team, along with the Office of the General Counsel, also has offered webinars to help address questions and concerns about specific immigration-related issues. Additionally, the ISSO is regularly communicating with our international community to help foster opportunities for connecting, passing on important information, and encouraging walk-in and in-person visits to the office as needed.
BU Today: How has ISSO pivoted or evolved over the last few months in working directly with BU’s international community? For example, how closely is ISSO monitoring SEVIS [Student and Exchange Visitor Information System] records, and when you learn about changes, what’s the process and approach to updating people?
Wang: It has not been the past practice of the federal government to terminate SEVIS records and the government did so without any notice to international students or their sponsoring institutions. Federal regulations require that the sponsoring institution terminate the SEVIS record if a student fails to maintain their student visa status.
In late March, however, when ISSO first learned that the SEVIS records of students and recent graduates on Optional Practical Training (OPT) were being terminated around the US and at BU, and without notice by the government, the ISSO team immediately began monitoring for SEVIS terminations on a daily basis. This was a major change in long-standing practices by ISSO and other University international offices. As soon as the ISSO team identified a termination, they would contact every impacted individual personally. ISSO helped guide and support each impacted person by email, virtual consult, phone call, or through in-person meetings throughout the person’s SEVIS record termination and eventual reinstatement experience. ISSO continues to regularly monitor SEVIS and communicate with students on many related matters, including those involving SEVIS records.
BU Today: Are there certain actions you are recommending that members of the BU global community take now? And along those same lines, are there certain actions you are suggesting they avoid?
Wang: International students and scholars should contact their ISSO advisors with any questions or concerns they may have and refer regularly to the ISSO website for additional information. The recent Presidential Proclamation about entry to the US and State Department plans to revoke visas support a concern that traveling internationally may be risky.
Referring to the ISSO travel flow chart on the ISSO webpage and contacting an ISSO advisor about traveling internationally is what we recommend. Additionally, encouraging our community to refer to BU Support Pathways for various resources is also important.
BU Today: What’s the impact on BU of the recent Presidential Proclamation restricting the entry of foreign nationals?
Wang: It may be helpful to understand that, effective Monday, June 9, the Proclamation bans the granting of any new visas to nationals from 12 countries—Afghanistan, Burma, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen. And it bans the granting of most new visas to nationals from 7 other countries—Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan, and Venezuela.
The Proclamation also applies only to foreign nationals who are outside the US and who do not have a valid visa on the effective date of the Proclamation. ISSO and the Office of the General Counsel held a webinar where the Proclamation was discussed, and registrants had opportunities to ask questions about it. Additionally, the ISSO team has been in contact with all international students and scholars at BU who are from the countries listed in the Proclamation. If an international student or scholar has a question about the Proclamation, they should contact their ISSO advisor.
BU Today: Is there one broad message you want to make sure BU’s international community hears above all else?
Gilliam: I want our international community members to know that we understand your concerns and your fears, and that Boston University provides an atmosphere where you can continue to excel. You matter deeply to us. Boston University would not be what it is without you.
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