Illinois State University President Aondover Tarhule was part of an early cohort of university presidents across the nation who recently signed the American Association of Colleges and Universities (AACU) “A Call for Constructive Engagement” public statement.  

“By collectively signing the statement, we are speaking out as a united voice against ‘unprecedented federal government overreach and political interference’,” said Tarhule. “It is only through this collective advocacy and support for higher education that we can demonstrate our values, commitment, and support for our campus community.”

Universities nationwide over the past few weeks have learned of student visa terminations, which created concern about the well-being of international students. At Illinois State, a small number of students’ records were terminated through the Student and Exchange Visitor information System (SEVIS), the system used by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to track and manage information regarding nonimmigrant students.  

On Friday, April 25, 2025, International Student and Scholar Services (ISSS), which is responsible for international student records, confirmed that the Trump administration has begun restoring active visa status to previously impacted students. All international students at Illinois State who were impacted have had active status restored to their visas, providing a temporary respite from this time of uncertainty for the international student community.  

“The Office of International Engagement (OIE) is receiving strong support and advocacy from President Tarhule and his cabinet,” said OIE Executive Director, Dr. Roopa Rawjee. “OIE is proud of our university’s commitment to our core values and appreciates the care shown to international students by our campus community and leadership. This unwavering dedication to Illinois State’s mission has helped our university succeed in supporting our students and helped us grow stronger.” 

For more information, visit “A Call for Constructive Engagement.”