Coronavirus Update: Office of the Provost

By Maria Tanner | February 27, 2020

Dear Colleagues,


With recent developments regarding the coronavirus (COVID-19), and given our need to respond quickly to changing information and plan ahead for future possible disruptions to our educational operations, the Office of the Provost is initiating a campus-wide continuity response. It is imperative that we are prepared to adapt quickly to evolving conditions, no matter the nature of the emergency. 

Within the next two weeks, all faculty and staff teaching courses need to have preparations in place to finish their spring semester classes remotely with tools such as Canvas, Zoom, and Panopto. While we hope such measures won’t be needed in reality, this kind of continuity planning and preparation needs to become part of our routine practice.

The University will help instructors get ready for such emergencies. The steps outlined in the link below provide a framework for faculty and staff instructors to ensure students can complete their academic work on time regardless of disruptive events. 

While some courses/learning experiences may be more complicated or challenging to support, such as Studio Art or Laboratory Science, we will work with all instructors to ensure continuity planning for their courses. 

We will do everything possible to keep the Arcadia community informed, prepared, and safe. We will regularly update our Student Health Services Coronavirus website, send direct communications, and schedule in-person community briefings to inform our University community.

Sincerely,

Jeff Rutenbeck, Ph.D.
Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs

Rashmi Radhakrishnan 
Vice President and Chief Information Officer