Dear Students, Faculty, and Staff,
Today, you received an email from University of Minnesota System President Joan Gabel, regarding the upcoming fall semester and some proposed changes that will go to the Board of Regents
this coming Monday, August 24. It is important to remember that any
adjustments to our approach for fall are not final until Board of
Regents members provide input and take action.
As
President Gabel noted, the COVID-19 pandemic brings many challenges and
uncertainties to our world, and the impact of the pandemic continues to
expand. Our priority from the beginning of this pandemic has been to
continue to provide our students with quality educational opportunities
while doing all we can to ensure the health and safety of our campus
community. UMD staff and faculty have worked hard to prepare our campus
for the return of students. We are following all Minnesota Department of
Health and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidance, and I
believe our campus is at least as safe as most public spaces.
We
are constantly monitoring the situation and the data around it, working
closely with public health experts, and watching what is happening at
other institutions of higher education. Given everything we are facing
and the increasing threat of the pandemic, President Gabel is proposing
to the Board of Regents:
- A pause of at least two weeks on move-in for our residential students.
- Starting the semester as scheduled on August 31, but primarily through online and remote instruction.
At
present the approach should not alter the academic calendar for the
fall semester, but I acknowledge that this sudden change alters the
instructional plans for some faculty. Executive Vice Chancellor Delgado
will be working with the academic units and Information Technology
Systems and Services to support this transition.
If
the Board of Regents approves President Gabel’s proposal, we will not
be able to reopen on-campus residence halls and apartments as scheduled.
Some residential spaces will still be open for students who need to be
there in order to continue their online course work. Housing and
Residence Life will communicate more information to students next week.
Campus will still be open in several areas to support students.
I
am extremely grateful to all of you who continue to work tirelessly and
adapt to this continuously evolving situation. This is not the way we
wanted to start the semester and I share in your disappointment. I
regret that this change is happening now with little time for us to
prepare and adjust. We ask that faculty scheduled to teach in all or
some face-to-face modality assess how to migrate to a remote or online
delivery for at least the first two weeks of instruction. We ask that
staff in areas associated with move-in activities assess changes that
are needed in programming.
Due
to the Board of Regents meeting on Monday morning, I am postponing the
Faculty and Staff Welcome that was scheduled for 10 a.m. Monday. I will
reschedule this soon to keep you informed and will communicate more
information as it becomes available.
I am constantly impressed by the persistence, determination, and grit of our UMD community. We will get through this.
Sincerely,
Lendley C. Black
Chancellor
