Global: Higher Ed Scrambles to Respond to the Coronavirus

Students and scholars impacted by the growing emergency. [Global] Hi, everyone. I’m Karin Fischer, international education reporter. Here’s the latest news: Fears, Travel Restrictions as Colleges Deal With CoronavirusHigher education continues to respond to the coronavirus. [The Fulbright Program]( said it was pulling its students and scholars from China, joining a growing number of American colleges and study-abroad providers that have [limited travel]( there amid U.S. government warnings. Colleges with campuses in China activated contingency plans, with New York University’s campus in Shanghai announcing that classes would [meet remotely]( when the new term begins February 17. With quarantines in hard-hit areas keeping many Chinese from working, the Institute of International Education is expanding its [Emergency Student Fund]( to aid Chinese students whose study in the United States could be affected by the coronavirus. Meanwhile, I’ve heard from a number of administrators concerned about the [suspicion]( and nasty comments directed at Asian students from people who fear they are carrying the virus. And American colleges aren’t alone in dealing with the impact of the infectious respiratory disease. Because of the timing of the outbreak, university officials in [Australia]( — which, like the United States, has barred noncitizen travelers who have been to China in the last 14 days — worry that many of the 250,000 Chinese students enrolled there won’t be able to return from summer break in time for the start of the new semester. Look for more coverage of the coronavirus in my global-education newsletter, [latitude(s).]( ADVERTISEMENT [advertisement]( Student Visas Not Included in New Travel BanThe Trump administration late Friday [announced]( that it was expanding its three-year-old travel ban to include six additional countries. However, the new executive order only applies to immigrant visas, and not to nonimmigrant visas, including student visas. By contrast, citizens of the seven countries on the [original list]( were forbidden from entering the United States for any reason, including education. (The administration did exempt student-visa holders from Iran, one of original countries, from the restrictions, though in practice, Iranian students have struggled to obtain American visas and have had their [visas voided.]( Still, educators [reacted]( with dismay to the new order, warning that it sends a message to students around the world that "to put it simply, America is closing," said Esther D. Brimmer, the executive director of Nafsa: Association of International Educators. “The combined effect of this policy expansion and the message it sends will undoubtedly accelerate the alarming decline of international students in the U.S.” Recruiters Sentenced in Fake-College StingRecruiters in the University of Farmington visa sting received [sentences]( between six and 24 months in prison. Homeland Security officials set up the fake college in the Detroit suburbs to catch people who intended to use the student-visa system to illegally work in the United States. Prosecutors say the eight recruiters signed up students knowing that Farmington had no professors or classes and collectively profited more than a quarter of a million dollars in recruitment fees. The men — who, like almost all the students who enrolled in the university, are Indian nationals — will be deported when they complete their sentences. As part of the operation, 250 students also were arrested. Critics have accused government officials of seeking to [entrap students]( rather than shut down legitimate bad-actor institutions. Harvard Chemist Was Paid a “Corrupting Level of Money,” Prosecutors SayProsecutors have revealed more about their investigation into a prominent Harvard University professor charged with lying about his [ties to China](. Andrew Lelling, the U.S. attorney in Boston, told [Science]( that government officials did not believe that Charles M. Lieber, the chair of Harvard’s department of chemistry and chemical biology, was a spy for China. Rather, Lelling said the $50,000 a month that Lieber was allegedly paid to do research as part of a Chinese government talent-recruitment program was a “corrupting level of money.” He also accused Lieber of “brazenly” hiding his Chinese work from Harvard and from the U.S. federal agencies that fund his research. A lawyer for Lieber, who last week was released on a $1-million bond, declined to comment to Science. Chronicle Top Reads [This U.S. Official Is Leading the Charge Against Anti-Semitism on College Campuses. Here’s What You Should Know About Him.]( By Danielle McLean Trump’s new executive order reflects the vision of Kenneth Marcus, director of the Education Department's Office for Civil Rights. (PREMIUM) ADVERTISEMENT [advertisement]( [The Industry Connecting Students With Real-World Challenges Is Growing]( By Goldie Blumenstyk It’s a recognition of the value of experiential education and an expanding movement of alternative credentials coming from outside the academy that have their own currency in the market. [The Oddsmakers of the College Deathwatch]( By Scott Carlson A small industry of experts armed with data is ready to tell you if your college will survive. 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