Harvard makes contingency plans for international students

Harvard Kennedy School of Government (HKS) has announced that returning international students will be able to study at Canada’s University of Toronto, as the Trump administration’s attacks loom large over America’s oldest institution.  

“With these contingency plans in place, HKS will be able to continue to provide a world-class public policy education to all of our students, even if they cannot make it to our campus this year,” HKS dean Jeremy Weinstein said in a statement sent to The PIE News.

“We are deeply grateful for the support of the Munk School and other partners, who are helping to ensure that we can continue to provide all HKS students with the excellent education they deserve,” he continued.

Under the plans, both incoming and returning students will be able to study remotely on a blended-learning program of online instruction and up to three intensive, in-person convenings in cities around the world.

Returning students will also be given the option to continue their studies at UToronto’s Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy, taking a mix of courses taught by faculty of both universities.

“Our top priority remains welcoming our new and returning students to campus,” wrote Weinstein in a letter to the HKS community, adding that the plans intended to alleviate students’ uncertainty but only be launched if there is enough demand from students unable to reach the US due to visa restrictions.

The Kennedy School is the first Harvard college to announce a backup strategy for international students, who make up 52% of the school’s student body and come from over 100 countries. Comparatively, international students make up some 27% of Harvard’s total student population.  

The university, which has the largest endowment of any global institution, has been under attack from the Trump administration since early April after Harvard refused to bow to far-reaching government demands.

The alliance is an important signal to other institutions about the possibility of building bridges across borders, instead of tearing them down

Tony Dean, Canadian Senate, Munk School

President Trump’s latest attempts to strip Harvard of its ability to enrol international students is being temporarily blocked by a federal judge, with the university granted two preliminary injunctions allowing it to continue to enrol international students while litigation ensues.

Beyond the administration’s direct assaults on Harvard, wider government actions – including a travel ban on individuals from 12 countries and a seemingly walked-back vow to “aggressively revoke” Chinese student visas – are also threatening HKS’s large international student body.  

“These are exceptional times,” said Janice Stein, founding director of the Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy.

“If Harvard Kennedy School international students are not able to complete their studies in Cambridge. Mass., the Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy looks forward to providing shared academic and co-curricular experiences for students from both our schools,” she continued.

Harvard-bound international students will welcome the safety net provided by the contingency plans, which are dependent on New England’s accreditation body allowing students to finish their degrees online.

Those wanting to study in Toronto will need to apply for a Canadian study permit by mid-July, with no telling how or when the US government’s rapidly evolving feud with Harvard will be resolved.

“This is a hugely important alliance, forming a deeper partnership between these two significant institutions at a time when many forces are inclined towards fragmentation and pulling us apart, Canadian Senator Munk School Senior Fellow Tony Dean told The PIE.

Praising the leadership of Professor Stein, Dean said the partnership with Harvard was “an important signal to other institutions about the possibility of building bridges across borders, instead of tearing them down”.

In a YouGov poll last month, 57% of US adults said they thought it was unacceptable for the federal government to block a university’s ability to enrol international students, compared to 22% who thought it was acceptable.

We are announcing these contingency plans now to alleviate the uncertainty many students feel

Jeremy Weinstein, Harvard Kennedy School

Breaking with former policy, Harvard University announced in April that incoming international students could accept admission to both Harvard and a second, non-American institution.  

Harvard President Alan Garber continues to reiterate the importance of the university’s international student population.

During his Harvard Commencement speech in May, Garber was met with fervent support from the audience as he welcomed students: “From down the street, across the country, and around the world… Around the world, just as it should be”.