March 31, 2020
Dear colleagues,
As spring term gets underway, we want you to know how much we appreciate everything you are doing to support our students and the campus community during this unprecedented time of disruption. We have heard so many positive and inspiring stories about the important work you are doing as we continue to deliver on our teaching and research mission. We are proud, heartened, and deeply grateful.
Modifying University of Oregon operations in response to COVID-19 is not without challenges, but we are confident that, together, our resiliency and fortitude will see us through. Many of you may have questions about the university’s response and the move to remote education and operations for the spring term. The rapid and dramatic changes may create uncertainty and stress for some. We want to make a concerted effort to be responsive to faculty and staff as key contributors to the university’s success. Given the pace of change, we don’t have all the answers, but we want to take your questions and share as much as we can.
On Thursday, April 2, at 4:00 p.m., the university will hold a virtual town hall for all faculty and staff. You can watch the livestream on this webpage. Submit questions ahead of time using this web form or ask questions during the town hall by emailing townhall@uoregon.edu. It will be recorded and posted on the town hall website for those who cannot join the live event.
The town hall panel will include university leaders who will address key components of our operational response, such as employee relations and benefits, academic support services, and technology and information services, to name a few.
As always, you can find the latest information about the UO’s response to COVID-19 at uoregon.edu/coronavirus and on the FAQ page. Information for faculty on remote teaching is available on the provost’s website and human resources information for faculty and staff is available on the HR website.
Take care of yourselves, be healthy, and we hope you can join us Thursday.
Sincerely,
Michael H. Schill
President and Professor of Law
Patrick Phillips
Provost and Senior Vice President
Professor of Biology
Jamie Moffitt
Vice President for Finance and Administration and Chief Financial Officer