Friday Replay: Hosting Refugees on Campus
A dose of mission-centered hope
Globally, there are hundreds of thousands of refugees seeking safety and new start. US Higher Education has often been a dream for refugees who are hoping to continue or start their studies. But, the reality is the journey is a difficult one. Programs like those in Canada, which allow for communities and organizations to sponsor refugees have been in place for decades, but the US has languished in the development of infrastructure to support refugees in a broad way.
In February 2021, an Executive Order signed by President Biden declared the intention to pilot private sponsorship toward the development of the Welcome Corps which was launched January 2023 and announced by Secretary of State Anthony Blinken.
The Welcome Corps creates new opportunities for everyday Americans to engage directly in refugee resettlement through private sponsorship, independent of and complementary to existing avenues for volunteering with resettlement agencies. By tapping into the goodwill of American communities, the Welcome Corps will expand our country’s capacity to provide a warm welcome to higher numbers of refugees. The launch of the Welcome Corps fulfills the U.S. Government’s commitment to develop a private sponsorship program for resettling refugees in the United States, as directed by President Biden through Executive Order 14301 on “Rebuilding and Enhancing Programs to Resettle Refugees” in February 2021. The establishment of the Welcome Corps is also an aspect of the U.S. Government’s ongoing efforts to strengthen, modernize, and expand the USRAP. The Welcome Corps incorporates lessons learned from other emergency initiatives launched over the past year, including the Sponsor Circle Program for Afghans and sponsorship-based parole programs overseen by the Department of Homeland Security, including Uniting for Ukraine.
One of the communities that can be a part of the Welcome Corps are institutions of Higher Education. Such a mission and values driven effort to support a community in need is a tremendous opportunity. On this latest episode of “Office Hours with Dr. De Veau” it was my pleasure to host guests who have direct experience in this initiative.
Show Guests:
Laura Wagner Laura Wagner is the Director of Refugee Student Initiatives at the Presidents’ Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration. Prior to joining the Presidents’ Alliance, Laura was the Senior Program Officer for Integration at Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service (LIRS) where she worked with a national network of refugee resettlement agencies to develop innovative and client-centered programs for refugee integration. Laura’s expertise includes refugee resettlement, education, and integration, program development, and project and grants management. Laura graduated from Bucknell University and earned her master’s in International Education Development from Teachers’ College, Columbia University.
Erin FitzGerald is the Director of the Center for Global Education & Fellowships at Salve Regina University in Newport, Rhode Island. The Center is responsible for comprehensive campus internationalization including international student services, exchange partnerships, study abroad programs and fellowship advising. In her role she has served as the university lead on the Syria Consortium program at Salve Regina, a program launched in 2013, which has welcomed displaced Syrian students through the F-1 student program. From this work, Erin has become involved in readying the institution to host refugee students. Salve Regina welcomed four Afghan refugee students in January in cooperation with the Institute of INternational Education, the QASP fund and other donors.
Show Notes/Resources:
Report on University Supporting of Refugees
Welcome Corps Official Website
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