HBS-Dean Nitin Nohria condemns Trumps´s immigration ban

Nitin Nohria, Dean of the Harvard Business School (HBS) and a first-generation immigrant to the U.S. from India, decries Trump´s order: “Whatever the intention of the order, its implementation has led to disruption and fear, and it undercuts the very foundation of academic institutions like HBS.”

The immigration ban has already had what Nohria calls “dampening effects” on Harvard students’ and faculty’s mobility — and therefore on the school itself. Students are suddenly questioning career prospects and wondering whether their families will be able to join them for commencement; faculty are debating whether to travel for research and teaching; class visitors are cancelling trips; and alumni are uncertain about returning to campus for reunions or other activities. And the school’s executive programs, comprised of two-thirds international participants, may also see an enrollment decline.

Trump’s order to block for 90 days citizens of Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen is affecting graduate schools in the U.S heavily. Students in the U.S. from the seven countries currently number in the tens of thousands, according to education researcher Rahul Choudaha, with more than 12,000 concentrated in graduate programs like MBA programs. Continue reading