Higher education is at its best and most essential when individuals – wherever they may be from – can come together to share knowledge and explore ideas. This is why learning and scholarship have always been grounded in the free movement of people across borders, and why the stakes are so high for higher education in the debate on immigration reform.
Simply put, higher education has no choice but to engage in that debate, because it will define not only what kind of immigration policy the United States constructs for the 21st century (and whether or not that policy works for higher education), but, perhaps even more importantly, what kind of face the United States presents to the world.
I had the great pleasure of welcoming international education advocates representing 31 states and the District of Columbia, to Washington, DC, as part of 
