Wheaton College Announces Full Scholarship for Refugees from Countries Named in Trump’s Muslim Travel Ban
Wheaton College has announced a full scholarship to be awarded to a student refugee fleeing Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, or Yemen—the seven nations named in President Donald Trump’s travel ban.
A release last week states that
“The current executive order on immigration, which was signed on Friday, January 27, endangers the broadly diverse learning environment that is essential to our mission. This new policy implies that international students are neither needed nor wanted. This is false, and we must counter that divisive message.
To promote our mission, we announce today our intention to offer a full scholarship to a student refugee from a war-torn country with a special preference from one of the following countries: Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen.
At the same time, we urge our country’s leaders to end swiftly the ban on welcoming refugees and foreign nationals to sustain the productive exchange of ideas and viewpoints that make our institutions of higher learning such fertile ground for expanding knowledge and hope.
We call on our colleagues at institutions of higher education across the country to join us in making a clear statement about the importance of diversity and openness on our campuses. By providing scholarship support to refugees from these countries, we extend the hand of opportunity and friendship to those who need it most and offer a model to our nation for more constructive engagement with the world.
“By providing scholarship support to refugees from these countries, we extend the hand of opportunity and friendship to those who need it most and offer a model to our nation for more constructive engagement with the world.”
Wheaton is a private liberal arts college in Norton, Massachusetts.
KJ