UM-Dearborn moving to all online instruction beginning Wednesday, November 18 (November 15,2020)
Dear UM-Dearborn Faculty, Staff and Students,
To date, we can be proud of the outstanding job the university community has done protecting public health while continuing to offer our hallmark UM-Dearborn education. Our response has been a model of crisis response and management. Nonetheless, COVID-19 cases rise at an alarming pace throughout the country and closer to home in our local communities. This evening Governor Whitmer and the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services issued an emergency epidemic order providing additional guidelines aimed at keeping us safe and stopping the spread of the pandemic.
The new order includes guidance that universities must shift to fully online learning for a three-week period beginning Wednesday, November 18. UM-Dearborn had already planned to shift to fully remote instruction for the remainder of the fall semester after Friday, November 20. As has been our pandemic policy, all staff and faculty members who can work remotely must continue to do so.
With the new order, we will move our plans up a few days and shift all courses to remote instruction beginning Wednesday, November 18. We understand that unexpected changes are never easy, but we are also confident in the commitment, adaptability and resilience of our students, faculty and staff.
The provost and the deans will be in touch with those faculty members who were to be teaching on campus between Wednesday, November 18 and Friday, November 20. Students with on-campus courses impacted by this order will be contacted with additional information.
With this new emergency epidemic order we expect that only limited activities will continue on campus, as outlined in this recent campus communication. Please note, research will continue as outlined in last week’s communication.
Although the winter semester will begin Wednesday, January 13, 2021 all courses will be delivered in remote instruction modalities through at least March 1, 2021.
Since March, the university has made decisions regarding our response to COVID-19 based on the best science and public health informed guidelines. As we approach the end of the semester and the beginning of the holiday season please remember the important measures that you can take to keep your family, friends and community safe. Wear a mask, wash your hands, if you are sick stay home, and while it’s hard, especially during this time of the year, limit your social gatherings. We all must continue to do our part to stop the spread of COVID-19 so that we can return to regular activities as soon as possible.
Thank you for your continued commitment to keeping our communities safe.
Go Safe - Go Blue - Go Dearborn!
Domenico Grasso
Chancellor
Sue Alcock
Provost
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