FROM THE DESK OF PRESIDENT ELFRED ANTHONY PINKARD
Statement to the University Community
Response to Coronavirus (COVID-19)
March 2020
We value the health and well-being of every member of the Wilberforce University community. As a campus community, we are currently confronted with an unprecedented event in the form of coronavirus (COVID-19). Our primary responsibility is to assure the safety of our students, faculty, staff and administrators and to provide accurate information and make informed decisions. To that end, we have relied on information from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the World Health Organization (WHO), the Ohio Department of Health and our local health department to keep us fully engaged and informed. We have also consulted with peer institutions to determine their best thinking and practice under the current circumstances.
On March 9, 2020, the Governor of the state of Ohio, Mike DeWine, declared a state of emergency in direct response to the report of three individuals testing positive for the coronavirus (COVID-19) in Ohio. As a result of Governor DeWine’s proclamation, Wilberforce University has initiated the Emergency Preparedness Plan as a proactive step in responding to a looming health crisis.
After careful consideration, effective Monday, March 16, 2020, the University will suspend all face-to-face instruction to include lectures, laboratories, seminars and precepts and will move to remote (on-line) instruction. University faculty will be provided comprehensive training on remote instruction on Thursday, March 12th and Friday, March 13th.
The University will cease on-campus operations until March 31, 2020 and will reevaluate the decision to return to normal operations at that time. All members of the University community will be notified of that decision on or beforeApril 1, 2020. Essential personnel will be identified and expected to support limited on-campus University operations during the period, March 16th through March 31st.
The Division of Student Engagement and Student Success will assist students as they prepare to depart campus and have developed a set of helpful instructions and protocols which will be distributed to students.
All on campus Dawn Dance/Alumni Weekend events have been cancelled. At this time Commencement 2020 is still scheduled to occur on May 9, 2020. We will continue to monitor coronavirus (COVID-19) and will make decisions based on the most recent and available information from credible and well-respected sources about the virus and its transmission.
While these are certainly unsettling times, it is critical that we continue with our lives while following healthy habits and practicing good hygiene and behaviors outlined by health professionals and health care providers.
For additional information please visit www.cdc.gov/nCoV. We have established a link on the University’s website to provide updated information on the coronavirus (COVID-19) at https://wilberforce.edu/coronavirus-covid-19/.
Suo Marte,
Elfred Anthony Pinkard | President |
Office of the President