May 21, 2020
Dear Campus Colleagues,
We continue to work closely with the System Office to plan for the possibility of opening the campus in August for our students, faculty and staff. I write on behalf of Senior Staff to provide you with an update on Human Resource matters and related campus priorities. I also wanted to be sure that all faculty and staff received Provost Campbell’s planning document for the Fall 2020 semester – it is attached.
On May 14, 2020 President Roper issued a memo to Chancellors and campus leaders with guidance for Fall Semester planning on five key areas:
- Academic and student affairs matters, including enrollment, student health, and residence life
- Health and virus mitigation efforts, including procurement of equipment and testing capacity
- Human Resource issues, including return to work guidance for employees and the development of workforce management flexibilities
- Finance, budget, and debt management issues
- Communications, including coordination of messages to key constituencies.
Chancellor Cable, Senior Staff, and David Weldon are meeting daily to consider and determine the best course of action as we continue to explore options to return to work and to open the University as public health conditions allow and with the best commitment to the highest possible protocols regarding the health, safety, care, and well-being of our entire community.
We are also analyzing economic and budget forecasts across a variety of scenarios from best case to worst case as responsibly and prudently as possible in light of the current financial and COVID-19 evolving situations.
Some of you have asked whether we will terminate or furlough any faculty or staff. This type of action depends on the strength or weakness of fall student enrollments, state budget appropriations, and the possibility of additional state and federal funding that we may receive due to COVID-19. We do not yet have a clear idea of the potential impacts on our continuity of work but we will remain in close communication with you as we learn more over the coming weeks. Please know that we are making every effort to mitigate the potential negative impact of the worst situation with the utmost regard for our faculty, staff, and students.
We will update the campus community on these key areas and the impact to our campus at a virtual town hall next Friday, May 29, from noon until 1pm. An invitation will be sent this week with a Google form to submit your questions in advance of the virtual town hall.
Thank you again for all of you who are teaching in Maymester, and thank you to all faculty and staff who are – in so many ways – supporting our students to learn and feel supported and to keep our campus community a safe and welcoming place.
Please be well and stay safe,
Heather
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Heather Parlier
Vice Chancellor for Human Resources, Institutional Equity and General Counsel