Watch a video message from Chancellor Nicholas S. Zeppos. >
Dear Vanderbilt community,
Vanderbilt University is home to students, faculty and staff from all over the world, including the countries that have been identified by the recent Executive Order issued on Friday, Jan. 27, 2017. This order could have a direct adverse impact on members of our community and will significantly limit our ability to recruit the very best and talented individuals from around the world. Our mission, as well as the nation’s security, competitiveness, research primacy, and innovation leadership depend greatly on this diverse global community.
Vanderbilt thrives when it is global, diverse and inclusive. We are constant in committing ourselves to these values. We join the Association of American Universities and our many peers in recognizing that legitimate national security policies and the visa process are not inconsistent with our mission and the encouragement of talented individuals to travel to study, teach and discover in the United States. (Read the Jan. 28 statement from the AAU.)
We will continue to monitor closely this and future actions that could affect our students, faculty and staff and will continue to advocate strongly for policies that protect our vibrant, diverse academic community. We will also devote ourselves to serving those on our campus who need our assistance as we strive to support our beloved community.
Sincerely,
Nicholas S. Zeppos
Chancellor