3/16/2020 12:57 AM

TO: Faculty and Staff
SUBJECT: President’s Communication: Session 4 Update

Dear Faculty and Staff,

The purpose of this email is to provide an update related to UIU’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Specifically, a decision was made this morning that all Session 4 courses originally scheduled to be taught face-to-face will now be taught in the online format, with a start date of Monday, March 23 and an end date of Thursday, May 7. As a reminder, all courses originally scheduled to be in the online format began today (Monday, March 16). All students must follow attendance and participation policies found on page 45 of the UIU Catalog.

An additional communication specifically addressing academics will be coming from Interim Provost Dr. Gail Moorman Behrens later todayhttps://uiu.edu/academics/courses/. This communication will include information regarding academic instructions, advising, facility access, services, resources, and other guidance to assist students and faculty transitioning from face-to-face to online.

The announcement regarding the Session 4 transition will be communicated to all students very soon. In addition, a listing of resources and help desk numbers will be provided to students to assist with their transition to online. It is important to remember that many of our students are first-time online learners. Together we will work to make this transition a success for everyone. Please refrain from sharing this announcement with students until the official communication from the President’s Office is sent to students. Should you receive any questions from students, parents or other stakeholders that you do not know the answers to at this point, please refer them to the webpage until further guidance is available.

The President’s Council and other campus leadership continue to meet and take action in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. We understand that each of you are dealing with your own set of challenges and worries, possibly including anxiety about your health and the health of loved ones, child care issues, and concerns about the short and long term impact of this situation. Your well-being and peace of mind as a valued member of our Peacock Family is important and we are currently considering actions designed to help lessen your concerns during this tumultuous time.

In doing so, we must also recognize that the services we provide to our students and the long-term success of UIU must continue to also be driving factors in our decision making. University operations need to continue, with responsible adjustments to ensure the safety of students and employees. Therefore, personnel are expected to continue to report to work as normal unless otherwise notified. Any UIU employee who identifies as a “High Risk” for the COVID-19 virus should be in direct contact with their supervisors to discuss alternate arrangements.

You can also expect additional information about possible adjustments to department work schedules, temporary revisions to current HR policies, and other items. Additional COVID-19 Coronavirus updates, communications, and information are available on UIU’s COVID-19 webpage. We recognize this is a rapidly evolving situation, and we will continue to update the university COVID-19 link regularly as we communicate with and update UIU stakeholders.

Thank you for your time and attention to this update.

Sincerely

William R. Duffy II, Ed.D., Ed.S.
President
Upper Iowa University