A reminder that the University Planning Council meets tomorrow at 4 p.m. in Blackwell, and the campus community is encouraged to attend.
The UPC is a forum to discuss issues affecting Longwood, higher education as a whole, and any broad matters of the day that might affect our students and community. Certainly this weekend’s executive action on immigration, and the impassioned response it has prompted, fall into each of those categories, and will be part of our discussion tomorrow.
In the meantime, I know there is genuine anxiety among some members of our community, particularly our international students. Longwood, along with the Virginia Attorney General’s office on behalf of all of the Commonwealth’s public universities, is monitoring the situation as best we can. This morning my office has been in touch with our Offices of Students Affairs, International Studies and Human Resources. While we are not currently aware of anyone at Longwood directly impacted, I have asked these offices to be proactive and prepared to provide any necessary support, and we have reached out to our international students.
During a period of real division as a nation, our mission of shaping citizen leaders is especially vital. Our mission and the broader mission of higher education as a whole can only move forward within a framework of certain core values – exposure to a range of viewpoints, but also a spirit of openness, connectedness to the wider world, tolerance, empathy, and recognition that as a campus and a nation diversity is a powerful strength.
President Reveley