58 Items
| by Jeff Cason, Karen Miller, and Mark Peluso
It is understandable that you may be eager to get back to work on campus. All of us would like this to happen but for the sake of everyone’s health and safety, if you have been working from home, please continue to do so until you have permission to return. Human Resources will coordinate with supervisors to plan a transition back to campus, and supervisors will continue to communicate directly with staff.
| by Laurie Patton and David Provost
We write now with a small view into our financial future. Before we do, we thought it worth reminding you of our current fiscal state. In an earlier note we described how we are projecting a $13.0 million deficit for this year ending June 30, 2020, having been hit hard by the stock market downturn and a number of other factors. These include our obligation to refund unused room and board for undergraduates as well as fees from Study Abroad students, expected shortfalls in philanthropy, and lost revenue from auxiliary sources like the ski areas and bookstore as they needed to close early.
| by Suzanne Gurland
I hope this finds you staying home and staying safe. As the end of this extraordinary semester approaches, I write to share information regarding grading policy and practices, the calendar for the final Monday, and exam period.
| by Jeff Cason
With academic continuity underway through remote instruction for the remainder of the spring semester for both our Vermont and California campuses, as well as the Schools Abroad, we have now turned our attention to plans for Middlebury’s summer academic programs. Our summer schools and programs provide our undergraduate and graduate students with expansive opportunities, and we want to continue as many of them as we can for the 2,000-plus who typically take advantage of them.
| by Mark Peluso, Jeff Cason, and Karen Miller
It is important for all of us to make a plan should we or a member of our family become sick from COVID-19. This message is especially relevant for those staff in Vermont deemed essential since they have continued to work on campus. We ask that supervisors of essential staff make sure to share this information with their employees.
| by Karen Miller and David Provost
We want to follow up on David Provost’s recent email regarding the impact of COVID-19 on Middlebury’s finances. As David described, the impact is significant, and it will affect every department throughout our operations. Working through so many big questions, our top priorities continue to be wage and academic continuity.
Faculty, Middlebury Institute, Staff, Students
| by Laurie Patton
These past weeks, seniors have been on my mind. Many have written to me with news of their alternative plans on the April occasions where they usually gather—Earth Day, Passover, Easter, or the celebration of spring. (Thank you for writing and keep doing so!) I also spoke with one senior, Kenshin Cho, about his experience of “alternative” life on Middlebury’s campus in this extraordinary time. Kenshin is the Student Government Association treasurer, and we discussed the SGA’s inspired decision to donate the remainder of its funds this year to help with our efforts towards wage continuity. You can see and hear our conversation here.
| by Mark Peluso and Jennifer Kazmierczak
Like most of us, you’re probably feeling pent up and tired of not getting out to socialize with friends and family, especially as the weather gets nicer. We’re all missing many things we love these days. But we also hope you’re aware that the social distancing so many of us have been practicing is starting to produce glimmers of hope that we may be flattening the curve.
| by Jeff Cason and Sujata Moorti
We write at what we know is a moment of significant uncertainty to update you on a number of issues related to faculty governance, our academic policies, and teaching. We also want to acknowledge that our situation is incredibly fluid, and to let you know how much we appreciate the rapid transition to remote learning that you have executed and are executing. We know that we could not have made this transition without our staff colleagues in DLINQ and ITS, and we thank them for all the work they have done.
| by David Provost and Mark Peluso
We write to let you know that a Middlebury staff member in Vermont has notified the College that they have tested positive for COVID-19. Our colleague, who has been off campus, is recuperating in isolation at home and is reported to be doing well. This is the first positive employee test result in the Middlebury College community.
