Dear Faculty and Staff,
As we progress through the third week of the semester, I appreciate the new ways in which you are working and connecting. I am grateful for your continued commitment to safety and quality as we work through the Maroon and Gold Sunrise plan.
Last week and throughout the weekend residential students moved into the residence halls. Take a few minutes to watch this move-in video to see and hear from our new students.
On Tuesday, we held our annual Faculty & Staff Welcome event in a new virtual format. If you were not able to attend, you can view a recording of the event online. Along with addressing the questions submitted by members of the campus community, my remarks include gratitude for all of the hard work you have all put in to get us to this point, an overview of COVID-19 health and safety measures, a continued emphasis and commitment to Goal 2 and our diversity and inclusion action items, a budget and enrollment update, and sharing just a sampling of accomplishments from the last year. We have so much to be proud of.
While we are still at the start of the Fall semester, I will note that we have continued conversations and preparations for Spring semester. At this point, we are planning to begin instruction as currently scheduled on January 13 and faculty are working on their instructional modality plans. We are planning to use the same four instructional modality options in use this semester. There are systemwide discussions about whether or not to have a spring break next semester. We anticipate that each campus will make its own decision, and I will keep you informed if there is any change in our spring break schedule.
As always, please continue to watch the Safe Campus COVID website for updates and information. The faculty and staff page has tools and resources to help you navigate questions about face coverings, testing, and other pandemic related matters.
Thank you and stay well.
Sincerely,
Lendley C. Black
Chancellor
