{"id":26402,"date":"2020-06-19T15:34:03","date_gmt":"2020-06-19T19:34:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/coronavirus-update\/?p=26402"},"modified":"2022-02-18T15:22:14","modified_gmt":"2022-02-18T20:22:14","slug":"a-message-from-provost-rob-clark-about-our-upcoming-academic-year","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/coronavirus-update\/a-message-from-provost-rob-clark-about-our-upcoming-academic-year\/","title":{"rendered":"A message from Provost Rob Clark about our upcoming academic year"},"content":{"rendered":"

To Our University Community:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Last month we celebrated our graduating class in unprecedented fashion. The pandemic dictated that we put the safety of our community above our desire to gather for an in-person Commencement to recognize our students\u2019 achievements. It meant forgoing many of our most cherished traditions, but the most disappointing difference for me was that we had to do it apart from one another. I now find myself feeling optimistic because this fall we are planning that many of us will be together again on campus.<\/p>\n

Although COVID-19 continues to be a source of concern here in Rochester, nationally, and worldwide, we, in close cooperation with New York State, feel prepared to confidently embark on our restart and recovery phase. We continue to be guided by the set of principles<\/a> I shared with you last month, with the health and safety of our students, faculty, and staff foremost in our minds.<\/p>\n

Like so many other aspects of our lives today, the fall semester is going to be unlike anything we\u2019ve experienced before. We\u2019re not going to be able to give \u201cwelcome back\u201d hugs or \u201cgreat to see you again\u201d handshakes. We\u2019re not going to be able to gather in large numbers in all of our favorite spaces. In everything we do, we\u2019re all going to have to be mindful of our distance. And we\u2019re all going to have to wear face masks. It\u2019s not going to be the Rochester any of us are used to, and certainly not the Rochester our new and returning students would choose if offered an alternative. But compared to losing a year of opportunity to advance our education, research, and service mission, finding a way to continue in this environment is just part of what defines the University of Rochester and its community. As a leader in the community we call home, Rochester is going to do what it needs to do to help mitigate further\u2014and unnecessary\u2014spread of COVID-19. This responsibility extends to all of us, students, faculty, and staff alike. In this moment, we can make the world ever better by acknowledging that it has changed and that we must change with it.<\/p>\n

With that in mind, we are finalizing our comprehensive plan for a phased reopening. The plan has been thoughtfully created by the Coronavirus University Restart Team with assistance from several advisory committees<\/a>\u2014Academic Affairs and Planning, Public Health, Research Affairs and Planning, Student Affairs, and University Operations\u2014and many individuals across the institution. We are awaiting final guidelines from the Office of the Governor of New York State, which we expect any day, and will share our comprehensive plan with you as soon as it is available and posted on our Restart and Recovery web page<\/a>. It will include details about:<\/p>\n