The Welcome Corps has announced the arrival of more than 30 refugee students enrolled at The University of Tulsa and 16 other colleges and universities across the United States, representing the inaugural “class” of the Welcome Corps on Campus.
As the first-of-its-kind program empowering U.S. higher education institutions to enroll refugee students through the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP), the Welcome Corps on Campus enables colleges and universities to privately sponsor and resettle academically qualified refugee students who have not, until now, had a pathway to pursue their higher education in the United States.
“The University of Tulsa has for the past several years provided scholarships and space on campus for refugee students,” said UTulsa Provost George Justice. “The first cohort of the Welcome Corps on Campus will deepen our efforts to share the university experience with refugee students who will enhance the campus and develop skills that will contribute to the United States and to the home communities from which they have been exiled.”
Other universities participating in the program this fall include Arizona State University, Bard College, DePaul University, Georgetown University, George Mason University, James Madison University, University of Connecticut, and University of Maryland – among others.
“Over USRAP’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,” said Julieta Valls Noyes, assistant secretary of the Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration at the U.S. Department of State.
Campus communities are 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 in the shared act of welcome of refugee students seeking to further their educations.
Refugee students are supported by on-campus sponsor groups who 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 benefit from the enriching international perspectives offered by refugee students, peer-to-peer exchanges that support experiential learning, and a stronger sense of belonging to campus life and the surrounding community.