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Coronavirus Update: Spring Break and Classes

A Message from President Woodward

Dear UHart Community,

I am writing this morning with an important update to our COVID-19 response.

The University of Hartford will take a phased approach in our response. This is a complex and challenging situation that is changing by the day. It requires thoughtful analysis and deliberation, with counsel from public health experts and our peers in higher education. Our students and families have made great sacrifices to earn their education at the University of Hartford and in honor of those sacrifices, we have made every effort to be responsive but not impulsive in our decision making. As always, our foremost goal is serving, protecting, and supporting our students and campus community.

This phased approach gives us an opportunity to remain nimble and ready to adjust our practices to respond safely and appropriately to a public health issue that is changing by the day. Allow me to make these difficult but necessary decisions very clear and then I will tell you more about how we will provide additional information:

  • Classes are canceled on Friday, March 13.

  • We are extending Spring Break (March 15–21) by one week (March 22–29) to allow faculty and staff to work together in preparation for utilizing alternate modes of delivering courses. Only classes already being offered online will take place the week of March 22–29. More information will be forthcoming regarding resources that are being put in place to support faculty and students in making this transition.

  • Beginning Monday, March 30, all undergraduate and graduate classes will be delivered online. A decision about maintaining all classes online beyond April 5 will be made and communicated no later than March 27. Ideally, students will be able to come back to campus on Sunday, April 5, with in-person, on-campus classes restarting Monday, April 6.  However, depending on how the situation evolves, we may need to extend the period of remote instruction through the end of the semester.

  • Other than those with current approval to remain on campus, all students are expected to leave campus by Friday, March 13, at 5 p.m. Again, please take items you will need for an extended stay at home including books, computers, medication, and valuables. We understand that for a limited number of students, moving to a location away from campus is not possible. Students who need to remain on campus for any reason are required to register here. You will be contacted by our residential life team.

  • At this time, campus will remain open and faculty and staff should continue their regular work schedules. The work of educating our students and caring for those who need to remain on campus will continue. We are actively working on contingency planning for our employees and will continue to provide regular and timely information and resources.

It greatly saddens all of us to take these measures. We know that these decisions pose significant challenges and all of us at the University wish they were not necessary. I am incredibly grateful to our faculty and staff as they rise to this challenge and continue working tirelessly to make this a smooth transition. It is hard to give up, even temporarily, the wonderful educational experience that defines the University of Hartford.

I know you will have additional questions. Please forward them to COVID19@hartford.edu. In addition, extensive Q&A documents are being prepared and will continue to be shared in the coming days. We will send daily communications with updates, and information will continue to be added to the hartford.edu/health-coronavirus website.

Thank you for your patience and your flexibility as we navigate this unprecedented time of change across our country and the globe. Please take care of yourselves and one another.

Gregory Woodward

President
University of Hartford