Immigration Reform Roundtable Discussion Will Be Held April 19

Wednesday, April 17, 2013, By Kelly Homan Rodoski

Moderated by Slutzker Center Director Pat Burak, panelists to include MACNY president, immigration attorney among others

Syracuse University will hold “Immigration Reform: An Economic Imperative,” a roundtable discussion, on Friday, April 19, from 10-11:30 a.m. in Maxwell Auditorium. It is free and open to the public but a reservation is required. Email gcr@syr.edu or call 315-443-3919.

The discussion is one of several taking place at colleges and universities around the country on April 19, in conjunction with the Partnership for a New American Economy (www.renewoureconomy.org) to highlight the role of immigration in driving innovation and creating American jobs, and the need for smart immigration policies that will allow institutions of higher learning to attract and retain the best and brightest minds from around the world. Current U.S. immigration laws make it difficult for foreign students to stay in the United States after graduation to apply their education.

The United States faces a shortage of more than 230,000 science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) skilled workers by 2018. When the United States opened its yearly supply of high-skilled visas in early April, the entire year’s supply was exhausted in less than a week.

The roundtable discussion will address why high-skill immigration and visa reform is necessary now, whether it can really happen and what components should be a part of an immigration reform package.

The roundtable discussion will be moderated by Patricia Burak, director of the Slutzker Center for International Services at SU. Roundtable participants will include Dave DiMaggio, CASE co-op manager at SU; Randy Wolken, president of the Manufacturers Association of Central New York (MACNY); Ashish Mare, a former graduate student on a CPT-STEM extension; immigration attorney Andrea Godfread-Brown; Mary Idzior, associate director of the Slutzker Center; and Jennifer Gavilondo, legal associate at the Slutzker Center. A question-and-answer session will take place following the roundtable discussion.

For more information, call Syracuse University’s Office of Government and Community Relations at 315-443-3919.