EMU Today

YPSILANTI — Eastern Michigan University is thrilled to announce the arrival of refugee students representing the inaugural “class” of the Welcome Corps on Campus. EMU is the first university in the nation, and one of 18 universities this year, to host students as part of the Welcome Corps on Campus program, which enables colleges and universities to privately sponsor and resettle academically qualified refugee students who have not, until now, had a pathway through which they could resettle in the United States to pursue their higher education.  

“This back-to-school season, I’m grateful for the partnership of higher education institutions who are welcoming refugee students in the Welcome Corps on Campus’s first-ever cohort,” said Julieta Valls Noyes, assistant secretary of the Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration at the U.S. Department of State. “Over the United States Refugee Admissions Program's 40-year history, we have seen time and again that refugees make tremendous social and economic contributions across the United States, including the kind of contributions that drive America’s competitiveness and innovation on the global stage. I’m confident this program will benefit not only the refugees arriving as students, but the campus communities generously welcoming them.”  

Campus communities have long been places of innovation and opportunity. The Welcome Corps on Campus builds on this legacy and makes it possible for America’s higher education institutions to bring campus leadership, students, staff, and faculty together to welcome refugee students seeking to further their educations. 

Refugee students will be supported by on-campus sponsor groups who will help students secure housing, enroll in classes, access social services, and integrate as new members of their campus communities. In return, American students and institutions will benefit from the enriching international perspectives of refugee students, peer-to-peer exchanges that support experiential learning, and a stronger sense of belonging to campus life and the surrounding community.    

“Eastern Michigan University is committed to providing refugee students with life-changing educational opportunities,” said James Smith, president of Eastern Michigan University. “Our involvement in the Welcome Corps on Campus effort reflects the University’s commitment to All Are Welcome Here -- a theme celebrating the inclusivity of the EMU community that is visible on signage across campus. We are thrilled to join other campuses as a partner in this important initiative." 

About Welcome Corps on Campus:
Welcome Corps on Campus links higher education to U.S. resettlement and a pathway to U.S. citizenship. Campus communities support refugee students who were forced to flee their homes and now face barriers to continuing their education. Campus private sponsor groups help newly arriving refugee students enroll in classes, provide academic support, and help them acclimate to campus life and American society. 

The Welcome Corps on Campus program at EMU depends primarily on charitable support. For more information, or to contribute, interested parties can give to the “New Future Fund” on the EMU Foundation website.

About Eastern Michigan University
Founded in 1849, Eastern is the second oldest public university in Michigan. It currently serves more than 13,000 students pursuing undergraduate, graduate, specialist, doctoral and certificate degrees in the arts, sciences and professions. In all, more than 300 majors, minors and concentrations are delivered through the University's Colleges of Arts and Sciences; Business; Education; Engineering and Technology; Health and Human Services; and its graduate school. National publications regularly recognize EMU for its excellence, diversity, and commitment to applied education. Visit the University’s rankings and points of pride websites to learn more. For more information about Eastern Michigan University, visit the University's website. To stay up to date on University news, activities and announcements, visit EMU Today.