Dear students, staff and faculty,

As we navigate the challenges created by the coronavirus, we want you to know how much we appreciate the patience, hard work and dedication you have shown. You all have adapted quickly to changes we have made in the best interest of our campus and our community.

This situation is unprecedented, and every day brings new information requiring our collective best efforts and flexibility. We will get through this because of the character and values shared by all members of this campus. For that, again, our deepest gratitude.

We have had to act with great speed, and we want to acknowledge that things are not likely to be perfect as we move to fully online instruction. This is a tremendous shift for many; our special thanks to all involved in the design and delivery of education for moving quickly to an online format that is as instructive, interactive and engaging for our students as possible.

We recognize that many students are sad and disappointed about this turn of events and what it means for their educational experience. We share that sadness. We feel deeply for students who must cancel internships and study abroad programs intended to cap their U experience; for our talented student-athletes who will miss final games and competitions or must postpone their seasons; for students who have formed deep friendships on our campus with peers, staff and faculty and must now forego that interaction.

Please know we are here to support you in any way we can during this challenging time. And we are grateful for the sacrifices you are making in order to support our core value of promoting health and well-being, particularly for the most vulnerable in our community.

Our staff are truly the foundation of all U operations. Quite simply, this university would not function without you. Many entities on campus moved quickly to share information about their services and available resources going forward. Thank you. In light of Gov. Gary Herbert’s announcement today about a two-week closure of public schools, we are developing guidance for employees as they balance work and family needs.

Students, staff and faculty are feeling much uncertainty and have many unanswered questions. It is our intention going forward to share updates by email and video with you weekly—and more often as needed to keep everyone informed about this rapidly evolving situation. We also are doing all we can to share websites and resources with information to answer questions and help you make decisions moving forward.

Please know we are thinking of you all, with appreciation for your partnership as members of the Utah family—a family doing all it can to promote health and contribute to saving lives. We are confident that we will come through this crisis as a strong and vibrant community, and that our campus will resume routine operations.

We are resilient when we stand as One U.

Ruth Watkins
President

Michael Good
Senior Vice President for Health Sciences

Daniel Reed
Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs