Mississippi State University President Mark E. Keenum issued the following statement on the new guidelines for International Students from the federal government:
On Monday, July 6, the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) issued new guidelines that prohibit international students from returning to or remaining in the U.S. this fall if the universities they attend deliver all their academic content online.
Mississippi State University is planning to host a blend of face-to-face and online classes this fall. SEVP guidance refers to this as a HYBRID approach to the fall term. As such, international students will be required to take at least 1 face-to-face course. MSU will work with each student to make sure this happens. Students may consult the MSU International Institute websitehttps://www.international.msstate.edu for the latest information.
The International Institute staff will work with each student to issue a new I-20 certifying that MSU’s operating plans meet the requirements and that the student’s course load meets the requirements. The new I-20s will be issued so that we meet the necessary deadlines ensuring that all students remain fully compliant with regulations. The International Institute will begin contacting each international student this week to update and submit the new I-20. A new FAQ section will be added to the International Institute’s homepage by Friday to serve as an additional reference.
We support the statement issued by the Association of Public & Land Grant Universitieshttps://www.aplu.org/news-and-media/News/aplu-statement-on-new-ice-policies-on-international-students seeking reconsideration of the new policy, which MSU believes will have a very negative impact both on international students and on our university and the surrounding communities. Our MSU international students are valued members of the Bulldog family and we will continue to do all we can to provide support to keep them on track toward earning their degrees.
