Secretary of Homeland Security Tom Ridge visited Yale University on Monday for a private meeting with the presidents of several major universities. The meeting was called to discuss the Bush administration's recent changes in student visa policy. The changes are intended to reverse the trend of decreasing international applications to American universities.
President Tilghman was unable to attend because of obligations on campus relating to the memorial service for Melissa Huang '07.
The changes discussed at the meeting have come in response to a major effort by American university administrators, with Tilghman at the forefront, to encourage changes in visa policies. The policies created in response to Sept. 11 security concerns have led to marked declines in international applications to U.S. universities, especially among graduate students.
In an interview earlier this year, Dean of the Graduate School William Russel said international applications to Princeton graduate programs were down substantially due to a number of factors, notably visa issues.
Diane Jones, director of the University's Office of Government Affairs, said last years's graduate school applications decreased by nearly a quarter. However, she noted that international undergraduate applications had not been particularly affected — largely because visa complications have been much more common for graduate students.
Jones explained that Princeton has been at the forefront of the effort to prevent unnecessary difficulties for international students attempting to procure student visas.
Tilghman testified before the House Science Committee in 2003 about the significant loss of international scholars, particularly in the sciences, because of changes in visa policies that forced potential graduate students to go through rigorous, time-consuming background checks.
Jones said this hearing, and similar statements from universities across the nation, encouraged the State Department and Department of Homeland Security to look at ways to reform visa policy and stem the decline of international scholars to the United States.
Though the meeting at Yale was not open to the press, it is likely the discussion centered around the kinds of changes now in effect, Jones said.
Foremost of these was an effort to improve communication among government agencies handling visa issues to expedite background checks.
Jones added that "tracking cases to make sure no one [gets] lost in the system" and reducing the number of agencies involved were both central to government reforms.
Another important change was a shortening of the "technological alert list," the list of academic subjects requiring additional security clearance. Many disciplines that posed minimal threat were removed.
The last of the major changes was a plan to lengthen the period of time between required security clearances.
Jones said there is still more to be done to increase international applications, but made clear that visa issues will now be a smaller portion of the problem.
"This was a great example of universities working together with government agencies [with great success]," Jones said.
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