Dear Erica,
I’m back! You didn’t know this but I took a long-planned vacation to Italy and Switzerland last week (talk about tricky timing—but ask me about Bad Bunny!) so coming back to you with a renewed appreciation for the wonders of international travel (as well as the Spanish that I learned during my study abroad semester in Central America; hey, it really helped with my Italian efforts!).
When we left off, the Department of Homeland Security had just published the final rule ending Duration of Status for international students and exchange visitors. NAFSA has been hard at work deciphering the rule since then. Visit our web page for a brief synopsis and an in-depth analysis, including how the proposed and final rules differ. NAFSA members are invited to view a recording of last week’s NAFSA Town Hall and the Regulatory Perspectives webinar for additional discussion. To ensure NAFSA has D/S-related resources that speak to the whole of the affected community, we are asking for input that speaks to the challenges specifically facing community colleges, health care institutions, intensive English programs and others. Please “Report an ISS Issue” via IssueNet and save the date for a Collegial Conversation on this topic on August 19 at 1 pm ET.
In other rulemaking news, the Department of State published a proposed rule on July 30 that would revise Exchange Visitor Program regulations, including those affecting program terminations, extensions, and reinstatement to valid program status. More information about the proposed rule and the current versions of the regulations can be found on NAFSA’s website. Comments must be received by September 28.
NAFSA joined a letter led by the American Council on Education and signed by 25 other organizations in opposition to yet another proposed rule that rescinds the regulations governing the Title VI and Fulbright-Hays international education programs of the Department of Education. The July 30 letter highlights the importance of these programs in creating a workforce that can engage and compete on a global stage and argues that removing the regulatory basis for these programs creates immediate operational confusion, undermines a clear mandate from Congress, and directly compromises essential programs designed to safeguard American national security. The deadline to submit comments on this proposed rule is today, July 31.
This proposed rule makes the legislation introduced earlier this week by Rep. Deborah Ross (D-NC-02) all the more timely. On July 28, Rep. Ross joined with Rep. Valerie Foushee (D-NC-04) and Rep. Jimmy Panetta (D-CA-19) to introduce H.R. 9971, the Advancing International and Foreign Language Education Act. The bill would reauthorize Title VI of the Higher Education Act, thereby reauthorizing and extending programs including National Resource Centers, Language Resource Centers, Undergraduate International Studies, and American Overseas Research Centers.
WHAT YOU CAN DO:
More next week!
Best,
Erica
Erica Stewart
Senior Director, Advocacy & Strategic Communications
NAFSA: Association of International Educators
