Thank you for joining the Supporting International Students and Scholars myUMBC group where we seek to connect faculty and staff who support international students and scholars with important information and updates. For those of you whom I have not yet had the pleasure of meeting (virtually or otherwise), my name is Adam Julian. I am the new, and inaugural Director of International Student and Scholar Services.

The goal of this myUMBC group is to serve as a platform for regular communication between IES  and faculty and staff at UMBC who support our international community with important updates and information that impact our international students and scholars. The creation of this group is the result of a survey conducted over the summer of select faculty and staff who work closely with IES to support international students and scholars. The results of the survey indicated that the majority of respondents would benefit from regular communication on: 

• Immingration news and updates

• Programs and events for international students and scholars

• Opportunities to support international students and scholars 

In addition to being a source of information, we also hope this platform will serve as a way for us to engage with each other and foster collaboration in our work. As always, please feel free to reach out with any questions, suggestions, or ideas about how we in IES can support you and our shared work. I look forward to our continued collaboration. 

Best,

Adam

Proposed Rule to End D/S is in Public Comment

The U.S. The Department of Homeland Security published a proposed rule which would eliminate the use of Duration of Status (D/S) in F and J immigration categories and replace it with a fixed allowable period of time. If implemented, the rule would: 

• Limit citizens of some countries to a maximum duration of two years initially

• Remove ability of academic institutions to extend status 

• Require nonimmigrants to petition (and pay) to extend status 

• Shorten “grace period” from 60 to 30 days following graduation and OPT

• Make it more difficult and more expensive for international students and scholars 

The proposed rule is currently in a 30 day public comment period during which anyone may comment on any and all aspects of the proposed rule. President Hrabowski is submitting a comment in opposition to the proposed rule on behalf of UMBC. You can find more information and resources about how to draft a comment letter and how to comment on our website. You can submit your comment letter by clicking “comment now” here.

The deadline to comment is 10/26

IES held a virtual town hall on this topic last week. You can find a recording of the town hall, slides, and other resources on our website. We will share any and all developments on this proposed rule as they are available. 

IES is proud to be participating in the Empowered University series on Tuesday, October 27th from 4 to 5 p.m. You can register here.  The event will be recorded for those who are unable to attend live.

Worldwide impacts of COVID-19, structural racism, economic disruption, and climate change make UMBC’s work on internationalization and global engagement more important today than ever. We invite you to attend a community conversation featuring student voices and updates about how UMBC is meeting current challenges impacting international students and scholars, education abroad programs, and international travel. 

Topics will include: How UMBC is supporting our international students, faculty, and staff; new programs to support international research, travel, and community-building; and a general overview of our work moving forward as a globally engaged university. We may feel  disconnected during this challenging time, but our community remains committed to addressing these issues creatively and collectively.