Dear Marquette community:
We are working together through one of the greatest challenges to ever face our university community. As we navigate these changes, President Lovell offers his thoughts on Marquette’s response to COVID-19:
As we have all experienced, guidance from public health officials on how to slow the spread of the coronavirus is changing hourly. The Marquette community has a human responsibility to model social distancing best practices that help “flatten the curve” and slow the pandemic. With guidance from the federal government and Milwaukee Health Department, Marquette University is making the following operational changes beginning, Wednesday, March 18:
- University operations – where possible – will move to a remote working environment until at least April 10, at which point the university will reassess our overall situation. We will have to work more efficiently in order to move the university forward during this period.
- Deans, vice presidents and vice provosts are working to determine which faculty and staff are critical to be on campus to support our remote teaching environment and our students living on campus. Deans, vice presidents and vice provosts will share this information with their teams in the next 24 hours.
- If you are not required to be on campus, your work will continue remotely. The expectation is that all roles will be performing normal daily activities. If you have a university laptop, please bring it and your power cord and any other necessary technology and files home with you no later than the end of business on March 18.
- If your role is one that is not conducive to remote work, your supervisor will contact Human Resources to discuss a reassignment.
- All faculty and staff employees will be paid during this period.
- Supervisors of student workers will receive guidance in the near term.
- The university will continue to evaluate all on-campus and remote workforce needs and communicate decisions as soon as they are available.
- The transition to a remote learning environment continues, with faculty, the Center for Teaching and Learning and Information Technology Services working around the clock this week. Every effort will be made to conduct trainings online to minimize the number of faculty and staff on campus. The Office of the Provost will follow up with additional information to faculty as available.
- Minimal campus operations will remain functional to serve the limited number of students who are staying in our residence halls because they are unable to complete their classes remotely. Additional information will be shared as soon as possible.
We ask the Marquette community in this time of social distancing to come into closer understanding of the ways we can help support and lift one another up. In this time of darkness, let us choose to see and be the light for others. This could mean praying for the most vulnerable among us, helping a colleague problem-solve an issue with an online course, supporting each other as we experience feelings of worry and fear, and leading by example by practicing social distancing and recommended health preventions. In this time of anxiety, let us share the gift of grace with our families, our colleagues, our neighbors and our community.
Please watch your university email for updates and check our COVID-19 website for additional information and FAQs. Thank you for continuing to serve the greater glory of God during this unprecedented time.
Sincerely,
Dr. Michael R. Lovell
President
Dr. Kimo Ah Yun
Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs
Joel Pogodzinski
Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer