VP Update March 19

Dear MIIS Campus Community,

For faculty and students, I hope this spring break week has provided a much needed respite from your hectic schedules. For many of our staff, this week was devoted to consultation and planning as we move towards a return to campus learning and teaching. Stay updated on all messages about our plans on our Covid-19 site.

Campus Updates

This week we began accepting reservations for small group meetings in three classrooms, Simoneau (capacity 5), McCone 238 (capacity 6), and McCone Boardroom (capacity 6). These rooms are now open to faculty, staff and student group meetings, but not anything that could be considered an “event.” For more information about how to reserve a room and guidelines for use, see email from Barbara Burke from March 17. 

Fall 2021 Planning Updates

We will be hosting two continuing student town hall meetings next week to share updates and respond to questions regarding our planning for the fall semester:

• Tuesday, Mar 23, 2021 12:15-1:45 PM Pacific Time 
• Wednesday, Mar 24, 2021 5:00-6:30 PM Pacific Time

The agenda for both town halls will be the same, we are offering two sessions to accommodate more time zones and provide scheduling flexibility. Connect via Zoom, password: TownHall. The town halls will be recorded and made available afterwards.

We encourage you to submit your questions in advance of the town hall to ensure we can come prepared with as much information as possible. We will also plan to reserve time for live Q&A. Questions can be submitted here through the end of the day Monday, March 22, 2021. 

Next week, newly admitted and prospective students will have a chance to learn more about the Institute at our Virtual Preview Days. We currently have 371 people registered for the week-long event. Prospective and new students will be able to learn more about our approach to fall format at sessions on Thursday, March 25.

Community Update

We are heartened that Monterey County moved to the red tier, down from “widespread risk” to “substantial risk”, in the California Blueprint for a Safer Economy this week. This reduction in risk will have consequences for daily life here in Monterey: the red tier allows limited capacity for indoor dining and fitness centers, as well as a partial reopening of our beloved Monterey Bay Aquarium. We see this shift as a promising indicator that our Covid-19 containment measures are working, but we must remain cautious to avoid new surges. To that end, standard Covid-19 guidance remains in force: we must all continue to wear masks, use good hand hygiene, and maintain physical distancing. 

We hear that some eligible community members are now getting their second doses of the Covid-19 vaccines. This coincides with increased vaccine availability through local pharmacies. For detailed information on who is eligible and where the vaccine is available, visit the Monterey County Department of Health Vaccine webpage.

Sincerely,

Jeff Dayton-Johnson

VP of Academic Affairs and Dean of the Institute