Message from President Katherine A. Rowe: W&M's COVID-19 response
William & Mary President Katherine A. Rowe sent the following email to the William & Mary community March 11, 2020 - Ed.
Dear William & Mary Community,
Since January of this year, W&M has been monitoring the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak and actively responding, in close consultation with public health experts, the VA Department of Health and our peers.
We are guided by four key goals: safeguarding the health of students, faculty and staff; ensuring students complete their classes; maintaining the university’s research and other operations; and joining in the national effort to slow the spread of COVID-19, to protect our communities, from Williamsburg to DC and beyond. As we gather new information, we will continue to use these goals to guide our best judgment. I ask each of you to do so as well.
With students due to return from spring break and reports of presumptive cases in our region, we are taking further steps to ensure we meet these goals. The university will remain open with modified academic operations:
- Starting tomorrow, March 12, through April 3, we will implement interim policies for events and travel. Over the next week we will move to online and remote modes of instruction.
- All in-person classes are suspended. Classes will resume online starting Monday, March 23. Courses that are already online will continue as scheduled.
- Students are strongly encouraged to return home or stay home. For those for whom this is not a realistic option, you are welcome on campus as detailed below.
- University travel and events are suspended, as detailed below.
- Employees are expected to continue working during this period, observing proper health protocols and with modifications as needed and approved by supervisors.
- We will continue to meet daily to evaluate the circumstances and decide no later than April 1 whether to continue these changes further.
These decisions will have consequences for each of us professionally and personally. Changing near-term plans and longstanding habits requires time, effort and patience. We are in wholly new territory and will learn as we go, together. For many of us as individuals, there will be disappointments and frustrations. For some, there may be real sacrifices, unexpected challenges or burdens that are hard to see. So I ask that you hold close our core values of belonging and respect.
As we move forward, we are committed to ensuring the standards of excellence that distinguish a William & Mary education. So many offices and individuals on campus have been working incredibly hard behind the scenes over the past weeks. They stand ready to support students, faculty and staff in this transition. I am deeply grateful to them for their tireless and resourceful partnership.
By Friday, we will provide additional guidance on planning underway to support students, families, staff and faculty. We ask that everyone continue to refer to https://www.wm.edu/coronavirus for the most up-to-date information on anything related to W&M’s institutional response.
William & Mary is a resilient community. I have seen this firsthand, particularly in recent weeks. We take care of each other. I am confident that will be the case in the coming days and weeks. Thanks to each of you for your creativity, understanding and commitment to this shared effort.
Best regards,
Katherine A. Rowe
President
The university remains open with modified academic operations. Further details may be found below.
Effective March 12, we will implement the following interim policies for modes of instruction, events and travel. These policies will be effective through at least April 3. We will decide by April 1 whether to extend them further. Employees are expected to continue working during this period, observing proper health protocols and with modifications as needed and approved by supervisors.
Our understanding of this pandemic is rapidly evolving. We recognize the stress this uncertainty places on students, families, faculty, staff and the communities we belong to. By taking further preventative steps, we maximize time for measured transitions and reduce the risk of future disruptions to our teaching, learning and research mission. For students, staff and faculty who are traveling – and for their families – taking prudent action now increases their ability to plan. Finally, W&M has a responsibility to contribute to local, state, federal and global public health efforts.
Instruction is moving to remote and online platforms.
In-person classes are suspended for this coming week to allow faculty and staff to modify delivery of their curriculum. Classes will resume via online and distance platforms on Monday, March 23. Online instruction will continue uninterrupted.
The provost and deans’ offices will coordinate this transition for all academic programs. The university is providing support for the online instructional, remote learning and technology needs of faculty, students and staff.
Students are strongly encouraged to return home or stay home.
We ask students not to return to campus during this period. On-campus services (residence halls, dining, etc.) will be limited for those with compelling reasons to be present, such as international students. The Office of Student Affairs is overseeing student support during this transition.
University travel is suspended.
All university-sponsored travel – domestic and international – is suspended regardless of fund source. We strongly discourage all personal travel, domestic or international, and may require employees who do travel to self-quarantine upon return. A university-wide policy on travel reimbursements is posted online.
We remind the community of CDC guidelines and recommendations, which include a self-quarantine of 14 days after travel abroad in specific regions.
University events are suspended.
All events and gatherings in university facilities as well as university-sponsored events on and off campus are suspended through at least April 3. This includes events sponsored by any recognized student organization and other affiliated groups. Whenever possible, we will seek opportunities to enable some events through virtual means and platforms.
Division I Athletics will operate within the policies of its governing bodies, the CAA and NCAA, and be subject to university health protocols.
Events beyond April 3 may be addressed now out of an abundance of caution so there is ample time to prepare alternative plans. This is particularly important for large groups and for events involving the most at-risk populations. Event sponsors should explore solutions that include cancelling, rescheduling or moving to alternative platforms.
All great ideas are welcome as we work together to reduce the risk of COVID-19 transmission and mitigate disruption. Many on campus are already exploring ways to use telecommuting, virtual meetings and buddy systems. Please share your suggestions via our question box.