Dedicated students, distinguished colleagues and dear friends,

Happy Friday!

As the final days of academic summer melt away, our campus is gearing up for the new season with eagerness and, yes, a bit of anxiety given the significant drop in visa issuance for international students. International students represent a tremendous economic force, and many American institutions depend on revenues generated from full-tuition-paying international students. We are no exception. In fact, one of our peer institutions, Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT), quietly declared a financial crisis and cut over 100 faculty and staff positions due to enrollment decline and restrictions on international students.

Fortunately, here at S&T we are not as severely impacted as many institutions across the country. Over the years, we have invested in highlighting the quality of our education with measurable returns. Finances aside, the inflow of international students into U.S. institutions from across the world has been one of the main channels for international talent acquisition and retention, helping the long-term economic viability of universities, national laboratories and industrial corporations. From Nobel laureates and historic scientific figures to industrial giants, academics who migrated to America have had a profound scientific and economic impact on every aspect of American growth and vitality. Interestingly, last year alone, half of the American Nobel Prize winners in science were immigrants.

As early as 1879, our university and the entire community of Rolla have welcomed and supported our international students. One of our earliest international students, Zentaro Iijima, came to Rolla from Japan in 1892 to study electrical engineering. Hector Boza earned his B.S. in mining engineering from this institution in 1911. He later became involved in his homeland of Peru as an engineer and public servant, senator, president of the senate, and first vice president of Peru.

Dr. Farouk El-Baz, a native of Egypt, earned his master’s and Ph.D. degrees in geology from our university in the early 1960s and later joined NASA’s Apollo space program. Dr. El-Baz used his remote-sensing expertise to help NASA determine the site of the Apollo 11 moon landing.

Mariana Rodriguez, a native of Peru, earned her bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from S&T in 1980, returned to her homeland, and helped establish two universities and two technical institutes.

Bipin Doshi came to S&T from India and earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in chemical engineering. Following a successful career, he and his wife, Linda, supported his alma mater by endowing the Doshi Department of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering.

Interestingly, I was fortunate enough to see a video reflecting the heartwarming life of one of the most highly accomplished academics who started his career as an international student at Oklahoma State University and went on to make decades of contributions to American higher education and research. Dr. J.N. Reddy’s life journey of 80 yearsis well worth watching to better understand his remarkable contributions and the cascade of benefits offered through generations of Ph.D. students he trained.

Clearly, we are well-served to continue to attract and retain some of the most promising minds that can contribute to the most innovative nation in history and to support the goals of peace and prosperity through education and research.

In summary, studies highlight the far-reaching economic, educational and research impact of international students—not only for the American higher education system, but also for the long-term sustainability of American industry, talent acquisition, and the fiscal viability of universities and research centers.

Warmly, 

-Mo.

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• Critical conversations: Experts gather at S&T to address nation’s critical minerals challenges

Mohammad Dehghani, PhD
Chancellor
mo@mst.edu | 573-341-4116

206 Parker Hall, 300 West 13th Street, Rolla, MO 65409-0910
chancellor.mst.edu