UMSL Chancellor Tom George is partway through a two-year term as president of the Coalition of Urban and Metropolitan Universities. (File photo by August Jennewein)

As Tom George looks toward a trip to Colorado next month to meet with other leaders in higher education, one topic is weighing heavily on his mind: issues affecting the diverse communities that universities like the University of Missouri­–St. Louis seek to serve.

The UMSL chancellor touches on a few of the concerns in a new column published last week by the Coalition of Urban and Metropolitan Universities, with a particular focus on the Donald Trump administration’s announcements related to the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program.

He makes mention of the UM System-wide statement in support of extending DACA for college students and also applauds fellow CUMU member institutions for speaking “in support of students seeking better and different lives.”

“The larger issue is how to articulate the case for access and opportunity for these and others as good public policy to individuals who see it differently – particularly when those who might disagree directly affect your institutional budget,” he writes.

With a membership of nearly 100 institutions across the country, CUMU was founded in 1989. To read the full column, click here.