Preview
Identifier
Finalist
Creation Date
Spring 2020
Department
Educational Administration & Foundations
Narrative
The image is of a young refugee who is shackled by the war conditions. The bars behind him demonstrate that barriers that exists between him and his ability to pursue his education amidst the turmoil. It is no surprise as several barriers exist between refugees and education including obtaining transcripts, qualified teachers, infrastructure and so on. Despite governmental and agency efforts including frameworks for the rehabilitation of the refugee population, education has taken a back seat and is not often included in these emergency responses. Encouraging these young men and women to pursue higher education and inculcating the lost hope among the refugee population is the need of the hour. My argument is that from a social justice perspective, institutional leaders should initiate policies and processes that break the barriers for refugee students to access education, and to enable them to pursue opportunities to enhance their developmental potential that contributes to rebuilding their post-conflict nations. My research is to inquire about the perspectives of university leadership in U.S. institutions towards refugee student enrollment for both undergraduate and graduate programs along the lines of policy changes for admission requirements, student services, faculty training, and curriculum changes. Let’s bring back the light!