Dear Faculty and Staff,
A few updates for you as we round out yet another busy week.
Fall 2020
We
have been actively monitoring peer institutions around the country as
they have moved students to campus and begun fall semester classes in
recent weeks. We have watched as many schools have experienced COVID-19
outbreaks, and we are closely reviewing their response, in conjunction
with our local data to make our decisions with better information. With
full appreciation for the extra work our two-week delay caused and the
uncertainty it created, it is incredibly helpful for us to see actual
data rather than projections as we finalize our own Fall 2020 plan and
stay focused on the health and safety of all students, faculty, and
staff.
As
was noted in the Board of Regents discussion last Monday, we hope to
have clarity on our plan for moving forward around September 4.
Sunrise Plans and Working From Home
On
Wednesday, August 26, University of Minnesota System Interim Vice
President for Human Resources Ken Horstman, sent all of us a
communication with updates regarding the System’s Sunrise Plans. There
have been questions from UMD faculty and staff about how this
communication impacts the Sunrise Plans we already have in place at UMD.
The UMD Sunrise Plans that have been approved remain in effect.
Mr.
Horstman indicates the Governors' executive orders directing
Minnesotans to work from home if able to do so remain in place. While
the State and the University have allowed a number of individuals to
return to the workplace when needed, UMD employees who can work from
home should continue working from home unless your UMD unit’s Sunrise
Plan requires you to work on campus. If you are working on campus
through an approved Sunrise Plan, you should continue to do so. Please
visit with your supervisor if you have questions or concerns about that
plan or about working on campus.
COVID-19 Campus Dashboards
Earlier today all five campuses published the first iteration of an online COVID-19 dashboard (UMD's COVID dashboard).
As we collect more data in the weeks ahead, you will see enhancements
that will help illustrate trend lines, as well as other information that
will provide some perspective on our student community.
There
are significant limitations to these data. For the Duluth campus, our
data are limited to what is collected at UMD Health Services, just one
of more than 250 testing sites around the state. Due to federal patient
privacy laws (HIPAA), the University does not know the test results for
Duluth students, faculty, or staff that seek testing at any other
facility. Testing data for these other testing sites are reported to the
Minnesota Department of Health and would appear in the county data on
the MDH COVID page.
Thank
you for your patience and dedication to UMD. I particularly appreciate
all the work done to prepare for the fall semester, while balancing
shifting plans and homelife. Working from home can have advantages, but
many of us miss seeing each other in person, interacting with our
students and colleagues, enjoying a laugh, and supporting each other in
ways that are difficult to do from a distance. I am hopeful those days
will come again soon.
Sincerely,
Lendley C. Black
Chancellor
