Coronavirus (COVID-19) Response
Updates and Information for the Notre Dame Community
Each morning Father Jenkins walks from his apartment on campus to his office under the Dome. In a Spring Town Hall meeting, live-streamed this afternoon, he commented on the stunning beauty of campus in full bloom today, but also how “it’s empty without you.”
University of Notre Dame President Rev. John I. Jenkins, C.S.C., earlier today directed that federal funding related to coronavirus relief and received by the University be used exclusively for direct financial aid to students whose families have been struck by unemployment or otherwise upended by the pandemic.…
Dear Colleagues:
As we approach the end of what has been the most unusual semester in my experience, I want to thank you for your remarkable pivot to online instruction for the second half of the semester. Although I’m sure I do not know most of what you have done, the stories I have heard of your hard work and tremendous creativity in offering the best instruction possible, despite the constraints of the online platform, are inspiring. Many have commented on the genuine sense of solidarity you have shown as scholars and educators to continue your work under these unprecedented conditions.…
Fr. Jenkins: Lives in disarray, then “peace be with you.” Fr. Jenkins delivered an Easter message of hope from inside the Basilica that was seen by over 25,000 viewers this week.
Dear Members of the Class of 2020:
As you know well, among the great disappointments caused by the coronavirus pandemic is our inability to gather safely as a University community together with your parents, guardians, and loved ones and celebrate your many accomplishments with the traditional Commencement ceremonies and festivities we had planned for May 15-17, 2020. Instead, the full celebration of your Commencement has been postponed until Memorial Day weekend 2021, when we will gather to properly honor our 2020 graduates with a Commencement ceremony in Notre Dame Stadium, a Commencement Mass, and other ceremonies and events to mark this important occasion in your lives and the life of Our Lady’s University.…
Dear Graduate Students,
Let me start by thanking you for all that you are doing to continue your learning and research through these challenging circumstances. And, thank you for reaching out to us as you have questions. We are working through these, and a seemingly endless list of other issues that are unique for this time. Below I provide an update on the issues that have been resolved. Please keep asking and bringing to our attention any additional unique needs. …
FOX Business News today asked Rev. John I. Jenkins, C.S.C., president, to reflect on the separations caused by coronavirus during Passover and Easter. He discussed the opportunity for prayer and reflection in this difficult time and, while apart, remind friends and family why we love them. See the broadcast here…
Dear Members of the Notre Dame Community,
As the profound impacts of the global pandemic continue to unfold and evolve, I hope this message finds you and your loved ones safe and healthy. I am grateful to you for the resilience, creativity, and character you have shown as we navigate these challenging times together. …
Dear Notre Dame Community,
This week, Fr. Jenkins contacted the Class of 2020 on Tuesday to update them about the conferral of degrees on May 17 and ideas for a commencement celebration during Memorial Day weekend 2021. He said that a student committee would soon be convened…
Dear Members of the Notre Dame Community,
This past month has been as unsettling and challenging as any time in our lives. Thankfully, I have also witnessed many moments of grace and generosity, affording me numerous opportunities to reflect on what it means to be part of the Notre Dame community. I am inspired by the selfless service and compassion I have seen in action at every level, confirming that we can accomplish more than we thought possible when we come together. Thank you for your efforts and for so beautifully embodying the spirit of Notre Dame.…
Dear Members of the Class of 2020,
I write to let you know that we will soon convene a student committee that will help us plan the events of Memorial Day weekend 2021. The details of those days will be determined by discussions with that committee, but we expect them to include the traditional elements of a Notre Dame Commencement—a Mass, a Convocation in Notre Dame Stadium with traditional cap and gown, college and departmental ceremonies, the Last Visit to the Grotto, and a Commencement Ball.…
University president Rev. John I. Jenkins, C.S.C., delivers a message of thanks to the Notre Dame community
Dear Notre Dame undergraduates,
As you may know, yesterday, Father John shared with the senior class that the University would not hold in-person Commencement ceremonies on May 16-17 as originally planned; instead, Commencement will be held in stages, with an online ceremony on May 17 and in-person celebrations on Memorial Day weekend of 2021. As Father John said in his letter to seniors, public health experts have made it clear it would not be prudent in the coming weeks to bring together on campus large gatherings of families from across the country and around the world. …
In a letter today to the Class of 2020, University of Notre Dame President Rev. John I. Jenkins, C.S.C., announced that the University Commencement Ceremony on May 17 will be held online rather than in Notre Dame Stadium.
Dear Graduate and Professional Students of the Class of 2020:
I write now to you a letter I had hoped I would not need to send. We have all been following the news about the spread of the COVID-19 virus, and I have consulted with several experts on infectious diseases. Although there remains a good deal of uncertainty about the trajectory and duration of the pandemic, it is becoming clear that it would not be prudent to host on May 16-17 the Notre Dame Commencement on our campus—a large gathering bringing together families from across the country and around the world, many with older and at-risk members. The Notre Dame Commencement weekend means so much to our graduates, their families, our faculty and to me personally, and so it is with greatest regret that I tell you we will not be able to gather you on campus for Commencement this May.…
Dear Members of the Class of 2020:
I write now to you a letter I had hoped I would not need to send. We have all been following the news about the spread of the novel coronavirus, and I have consulted with several experts on infectious diseases. Although there remains a good deal of uncertainty about the trajectory and duration of the pandemic, it is becoming clear that it would not be prudent to host on May 16-17 the Notre Dame Commencement on our campus—a large gathering bringing together families from across the country and around the world, many with older and at-risk members. The Notre Dame Commencement and the events leading up to it mean so much to our graduates, their families, our faculty and to me personally, and so it is with greatest regret that I tell you we will not be able to gather you on campus for Commencement this May.…
Dear Colleagues,
I have never seen our beautiful campus so quiet, eerily quiet. Yet I know that you—whether working in your offices or labs on campus or remotely from home—have been putting enormous effort into teaching online classes, continuing your research and scholarship, advising students, and conducting the business of your departments, institutes, schools, and colleges. By all reports, our students also have adapted to this new environment and continue to progress toward their degrees. …
Dear Notre Dame Students,
I hope this letter finds you, your families, and your friends safe and doing well in the midst of these challenging times. Numerous faculty members have relayed to me stories of your patience, resilience, and good humor as you resumed your classes online this week. I am grateful to you for that as well as for your efforts in many distant locations to maintain the strong sense of community we work so hard to build at Notre Dame. …
The transition from in-classroom instruction to distant teaching and learning went smoothly this week. There was also more clarity about policies as they pertain to grades, employment, tenure track and other issues of importance to students, faculty and staff.
Dear Members of the Notre Dame Community,
My deepest thanks for the teamwork, dedication and compassion you have demonstrated in this unprecedented time. The coronavirus pandemic has presented truly extraordinary challenges for the world and our nation, as well as for the University of Notre Dame. I am humbled and inspired by the way you have responded with care and concern for one another.…
Dear Friends and Colleagues,
Your generosity, creativity, and commitment to our students has never been more visible than it is now in this moment of profound disruption and anxiety. Thank you. In all things, we counsel compassion, flexibility, and patience as guiding principles — towards our students, our broader community, and ourselves. Many students (and their instructors) may be in unstable circumstances; they may be burdened by this crisis in ways that are not readily visible or communicated easily. The impact of COVID-19 on our communities, the responses of local authorities to it, and access to public spaces and resources will vary. These factors will continue to impact everyone in our dispersed community. Resumption of instruction in an online environment will, no doubt, present some new opportunities and a few surprises. As we look forward to the week ahead, we write with some additional touchstones to consider as we begin remote learning and teaching as a community.…
Dear Graduate Students and Postdoctoral Scholars,
As you may have learned, the University is taking additional steps in response to COVID-19 to address the health and safety of all of you as well as our faculty and staff members who support online teaching and research. A recent communication states that “these steps will also position us for additional anticipated measures that state and local governments are likely to take to control the spread of the coronavirus.”…
Dear Members of the Notre Dame Community,
We hope this finds you and your loved ones well. Given the importance of ensuring that all members of the Notre Dame community are well-informed while the coronavirus pandemic continues, we plan to summarize on Fridays the developments of that week. Much of the information may have been communicated previously through other channels. Nonetheless, it’s important that we highlight it, or in some instances, provide additional details.…
Dear Colleagues,
With the announcement that the University plans to suspend laboratory research operations and limit access only to essential personnel on Friday March, 27, I write to inform you about how we will manage the ramp down process. I want to emphasize that although lab operations are suspended, we hope faculty, post docs, graduate and undergraduate students can still find ways to be productive remotely by engaging in computational and simulation work, data analysis, paper and proposal writing, and other similar activities. The Deans and I stand ready to assist in any way that we can.…
Dear Colleagues,
Thank you for your committed and diligent efforts to take all necessary precautions to safeguard, as much as possible, you, your family, and your colleagues from exposure to the COVID-19 virus while also doing all you can to ensure the best possible distance education for our students. I know that I start each note to you with thanks. Please know that this is not formulaic; it is heartfelt. The selfless efforts so many people have made are extraordinary.…
A short while ago, the US Department of State announced that its Worldwide Global Health Advisory has been raised to Level 4, “Do Not Travel.” This message advises those who are abroad to return to the US as soon as possible by commercial means while still available and, if you cannot, to shelter in place until you are able to depart safely. …
Dear Faculty and Staff,
On Sunday, March 15th the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a new recommendation that no gatherings with 50 people or more be held for the next eight weeks. Informed by this recommendation as well as conversations with state and local health officials, and in consultation with other University leaders, I have decided to extend the suspension of in-person classes at Notre Dame to the end of the semester. Distance learning for our students will continue until then. …
March 18, 2020
Dear Students and Parents,
On Sunday, March 15th the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a new recommendation that no gatherings with 50 people or more be held for the next eight weeks. Informed by this recommendation as well as conversations with state and local health officials, and in consultation with other University leaders, I have decided to extend the suspension of in-person classes at Notre Dame to the end of the semester. Distance learning for our students will continue until then. …
Dear Notre Dame undergraduates,
Since writing to you only a week ago, the pace with which our world has changed due to COVID-19 is astounding and, at times, disconcerting. I am so proud of how you have responded to this challenge. Although your lives have changed dramatically, you have expressed understanding that Notre Dame prioritized the health and safety of our community, our nation, and our world. …
Dear Graduate and Professional Students,
It has been a sad and stressful week. On behalf of myself and the deans of the graduate professional schools, I write to say how sorry we are that the spring semester has unfolded in this manner, and to thank you for your understanding, patience, flexibility, and creativity as the rhythm of just about every facet of our lives has been up-ended, and as we all try to adjust to a new set of routines. We understand how you may be feeling. The need to stay physically distant may bring on feelings of isolation. The pressures to move instruction online may be compounded for those of you who are not only students, but also teaching assistants or instructors of record. The contingency planning that is taking place with respect to research is important because we are trying our best to support you in your pursuit of meaningful work and progress on your degree. But understandably, this planning may bring too anxiety and countless questions related to deadlines, progress on research, funding, access to on-campus resources and so on.…