Responding to the Coronavirus Outbreak: MIIS Update

Dear MIIS Faculty, Staff, and Students:

I am following up on the message you received Friday from me and Middlebury Dean of International Programs Carlos Vélez regarding the coronavirus outbreak (which you’ll find below).

A large number of MIIS students are travelling to campus from China this weekend, and the number of cases continues to rise.  Those students – in degree and non-degree programs alike – travelling to Monterey may face unexpected delays in getting to campus. In addition to the recommendations and information resources included in my Friday message, I have additional instructions for students and faculty.

If you are a student returning from China, or coming to Monterey from China for the first time, since the beginning of the Coronavirus outbreak, you may attend the first two weeks of classes via Zoom videoconference. (The U.S. Centers for Disease Control indicate that infected individuals may be asymptomatic for approximately two weeks.) It is my hope that this will also be of help to students experiencing travel delays. While you are not required to attend classes via videoconference, I strongly urge you to do so, particularly if you have traveled to areas of China most affected by the outbreak. If you are a student who wishes to attend the first two weeks of courses via Zoom – the weeks of January 27 and February 3 – please contact Barbara Burke in the Office of the Institute Vice President (blburke@miis.edu), who will coordinate your request or answer any questions you might have. Remote attendance will not negatively affect your grades.

Faculty who receive such requests for Zoom attendance are strongly urged to accommodate them. If you are a faculty member with questions about these requests, please contact Dean Laura Burian (lburian@miis.edu).

Below you will find update documents from the Monterey County Department of Health with additional information about local resources:

Important Health Alert

Health Advisory

Thank you for helping to keep our campus safe.

Best regards,

Jeff Dayton-Johnson

Friday’s message:

To the members of the Middlebury Community—

We write today to provide advice to members of the Middlebury community across the globe, especially those travelling to and from China in the coming weeks, about the recent outbreak of the coronavirus. 

The outbreak began in Wuhan, China. To date the death toll from the disease stands at 26 people and is largely concentrated in that geographical region. Although the Chinese government has taken aggressive measures to limit the spread of the disease, health officials in China and throughout the world remain in a high state of alert.

If you are scheduled to travel to China in the near future or have been there recently, please visit Global Operations to review our recommendations.  On that site, you will also find additional information resources.

The situation on the ground in China remains fluid and we will continue to monitor it. We urge you to check the link above frequently to keep yourself informed about our most recent recommendations.

Thank you,

Carlos Vélez

Dean of International Programs

Jeff Dayton-Johnson

Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean of the Institute