Bard College President Leon Botstein Participates as Presidential Speaker in Virtual Conversation about Welcome Corps on Campus Hosted by White House Executive Office of the President

ANNANDALE-ON-HUDSON, N.Y.—On Wednesday, September 4, Bard College President Leon Botstein served as the presidential speaker in a virtual conversation on Welcome Corps on Campus hosted by the White House Executive Office of the President. President Botstein was invited to serve in recognition of Bard’s leadership in supporting displaced students and the College’s commitment to sponsoring refugee students through Welcome Corps on Campus’s first cohort this fall 2024. Attendees included representatives from the US Department of State, White House Domestic Policy Council, Presidents’ Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration, Community Sponsorship Hub, Bard College, DePaul University, Indiana University, SUNY Albany, and other colleges and universities within the inaugural cohort of higher education institutions welcoming and enrolling refugee students through Welcome Corps on Campus. Also in attendance were representatives from other institutions interested in participating in Welcome Corps to provide more refugee students the opportunity to learn and resettle in American colleges and universities in the future.

“We agree nothing could be more important. This country, in my view, is dependent on people from other countries coming here. I myself am a refugee. I was a child refugee. We need to open our doors, not close them. The Welcome Corps on Campus program does just that,” said Botstein in his remarks to other college leaders.

At Bard, the college recognizes that integrating refugee students enriches the community, offering diverse perspectives that foster global citizenship and cultural understanding. Botstein emphasized that institutions of higher learning need to closely support displaced students as they face challenges acclimating to life in America and that their enrollment is not charity but integral to Bard’s educational mission, as well as a great contribution to campus culture. “We as leadership need to balance the response so we create a campus environment that is enthusiastic about welcoming refugee students. When the wars end in Ukraine and the Middle East, we also need to be ready to keep educating young people who will hopefully go back to their homelands one day to rebuild. Welcome Corps on Campus is a very welcome program that we hope will be scaled up.”

This fall, Bard has welcomed two first-year refugee students to its Annandale-on-Hudson campus through Welcome Corps on Campus, a first-of-its-kind program empowering US higher education institutions to welcome refugee students through the US Refugee Admissions Program, which offers those students a pathway to citizenship. Bard College will welcome two more students from the Bard/OSUN Hubs for Connected Learning Initiative (Kenya) this academic year, and the College is prepared to take up to 12 Welcome Corps students in the next academic year. During the virtual conversation, a US Department of State representative indicated that Welcome Corps will welcome 75 refugee students from Kenya next year and plans to welcome more students beginning in 2026.

Bard has been a long-time supporter of refugee higher education, from Syrians to Afghans, and other student populations displaced from their home countries. This academic year, Bard has enrolled 208 displaced students on its Annandale-on-Hudson and New York City campuses, 15 at Bard College at Simon’s Rock in Massachusetts, and 40 at Bard College Berlin. Bard’s participation in Welcome Corps on Campus is a continuation of that commitment, representing the College’s next phase of engagement and part of its broader commitment of UNHCR and its partners to enroll 15% of refugees in higher education by 2030.

Additionally, Bard will be taking in at least 400 students into its global university preparation program, RhEAP, during this academic year. This program prepares students with the critical thinking, English language, digital literacy and analysis skills that are so critical for university success. The program is running in Kenya and Jordan, the two countries from which Welcome Corps on Campus is currently drawing students. The program is also running in the Rohingya community in Bangladesh.
About the Welcome Corps and Welcome Corps on Campus
The Welcome Corps on Campus operates under the umbrella of the Welcome Corps, the broader U.S. private sponsorship program that was launched by the U.S. Department of State in January 2023 for refugees admitted through the USRAP. The Welcome Corps empowers everyday Americans to come together to privately sponsor refugees, building on our country’s long tradition of providing refuge to those fleeing persecution. Through the Welcome Corps, sponsor groups welcome refugees into local communities and directly assist refugee newcomers as they build new lives in the United States. The Welcome Corps on Campus leverages the capacity of U.S. higher education institutions to serve as resettlement spaces and academic opportunities for refugee students, foster more diverse and inclusive campuses, and create a sustainable opportunity for colleges and universities to welcome refugee students on their campuses. On-campus sponsor groups consisting of staff, faculty, and students welcome refugee students and provide them with a softer landing, a supportive community, and set them up for academic and overall success. Americans interested in learning more about sponsorship or to apply to the Welcome Corps should visit WelcomeCorps.org.

About Bard College
Founded in 1860, Bard College is a four-year, residential college of the liberal arts and sciences located 90 miles north of New York City. With the addition of the Montgomery Place estate, Bard’s campus consists of nearly 1,000 parklike acres in the Hudson River Valley. It offers bachelor of arts, bachelor of science, and bachelor of music degrees, with majors in more than 40 academic programs; graduate degrees in 13 programs; eight early colleges; and numerous dual-degree programs nationally and internationally. Building on its 163-year history as a competitive and innovative undergraduate institution, Bard College has expanded its mission as a private institution acting in the public interest across the country and around the world to meet broader student needs and increase access to liberal arts education. The undergraduate program at our main campus in upstate New York has a reputation for scholarly excellence, a focus on the arts, and civic engagement. Bard is committed to enriching culture, public life, and democratic discourse by training tomorrow’s thought leaders. For more information about Bard College, visit bard.edu.

This event was last updated on 09-06-2024

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