Dear Adelphi Community,
We are delighted to see that the firm advocacy and determination of Adelphi University and all our peers in higher education—coupled with support from representatives across the nation—have resulted in the reversal of the July 6 announcement by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to prohibit international students from remaining on campus if all of their classes are online.
The initial decision by ICE was senseless and unexpected, and this news is a welcome relief for our international students—surely made possible by the devotion of so many caring people.
We are proud of our community—students, faculty and staff—who wrote and responded with a tremendous outpouring of concern and support for Adelphi’s international students. Our University continues to stand in support of them and all they contribute to our community.
Last semester the global COVID-19 pandemic caused necessary stay-at-home orders, worldwide restricted travel and a transition to 100 percent remote learning. It created many challenges, but Adelphi was proud to continue supporting our students and delivering a world-class education in an online environment.
Undeterred, Adelphi was committed to ensuring that the July 6 ICE decision would not negatively impact the academic progress of our international students and took immediate steps to ensure they could continue their studies safely and without disruption.
We are pleased that ICE has changed its position and agreed not to disrupt the education of international students who may be taking online classes in Fall 2020 because of the pandemic environment. This fall, Adelphi is reopening according to New York Forward guidelines and offering classes in-person, online as well as in hybrid format.
The ICE guidelines regarding international students’ status have now reverted to the COVID-19 temporary guidelines established in March 2020—allowing online learning. While we do not know how long these exceptional measures will remain in place, this fall our students will be able to choose their courses regardless of the delivery mode—our international students can select courses that are all in-person, all online, a hybrid schedule, or a mix of both. They will now be able to remain in their home countries and take an online semester without losing their status or jeopardizing their eligibility Optional Practical Training (OPT) or Curricular Practical Training (CPT).
As promised, this week we will begin to offer one-to-one advising sessions for each international student. A dedicated advisement team stands ready to help ensure that those who want to stay at Adelphi will be able to, and to progress in their chosen programs.
We thank our community, our peers in higher education and our representatives for the care, concern, and support that helped bring about a change to an unfair and harmful decision. We continue to firmly stand by our international students and to advocate for them and all they will accomplish at Adelphi.
To our international students: Assistant Provost for Global Affairs Susan Briziarelli at sbriziarelli@adelphi.edu and Director of International Student Services Wendy Badala at wbadala@adelphi.edu are available to answer your questions and provide guidance.
Sincerely,
Christine M. Riordan, PhD
President
Steve Everett, DMA
Provost and Executive Vice President