Dear students, staff and faculty:

In one of the first acts of his administration, President Joseph R. Biden issued an executive order strengthening protections for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals or DACA. As many of us know, DACA enables undocumented immigrants who were brought to the U.S. as children to legally pursue education and employment. President Biden’s executive order affirms that the DACA program is no longer under threat. Further, President Biden has called upon the Congress to enact permanent protections for DACA recipients through legislative action.

Sm​i​th College remains deeply committed to protecting and supporting all members of our community, and to continuing our partnership with organizations such as the Presidents’ Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration to advocate for legal protections and a permanent path to citizenship for undocumented students, staff and faculty.

Recent years have held enormous uncertainty and fear for immigrant families and communities. I know you join me in celebrating this important step forward in protecting the rights of immigrant families to pursue education and a pathway to citizenship. I want to assure you that Smith’s commitment to this work will remain steadfast.

Sincerely,

Kathleen McCartney
President