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Updates: Letters

  1. Fr. Jenkins: update for faculty on COVID-19 issues

    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.…

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  2. Fr. Jenkins: More details on degree conferral ceremony May 17

    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.…

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  3. Provost Burish: letter on summer programming

    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.  …

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  4. EVP Cullinan: letter to faculty and staff

    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.…

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  5. Fr. Jenkins: More details on Memorial Day Weekend 2021

    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.…

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  7. Fr. Jenkins: letter to graduate and professional students of the Class of 2020

    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.…

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  8. Fr. Jenkins: letter to undergraduate members of the Class of 2020

    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.…

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  9. Provost Burish: letter to students on COVID-19 issues

    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. …

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  10. Provost Burish: faculty update on COVID-19 issues

    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. …

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  11. Executive VP Cullinan: update to 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.…

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  12. Provost Burish: faculty update on COVID-19

    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.…

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  13. Fr. Jenkins: in-person classes suspended for remainder of semester

    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. …

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  15. Provost Burish: Faculty update on COVID-19

    Dear Colleagues,

    Words cannot adequately express my gratitude for your overwhelming support as we move forward on the decision to move all classes online starting March 23.  As you know, our coronavirus response efforts have been unfolding quickly for the past few days and are likely to continue this weekend and into next week.…

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  16. Father Jenkins: in-person classes suspended, moved online

    Although there are currently no reported cases of the coronavirus at Notre Dame, the probability that it will spread to our region is high. I have continued to monitor the quickly evolving situation, and after a great deal of deliberation and consultation with experts, with all members of our community’s health and well-being in mind, I’ve decided that the University will take several steps to reduce the likelihood of transmission of the virus.

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  17. Provost Burish: letter to faculty

    Dear Colleagues,

    Following upon Father John’s letter to the entire Notre Dame community earlier today, I write to share with you our plan to maintain instructional continuity as we implement social-distancing practices to deal with the dangers of the novel coronavirus, COVID-19.  We have two overriding aims: to protect the health and wellness of our community by lessening the potential spread of the virus through person-to-person contact on campus and to ensure the instructional continuity for our students.…

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  18. Father Jenkins letter to Notre Dame parents

    Dear Notre Dame Parents and Guardians,

    The coronavirus epidemic has disrupted society globally and domestically, and while we have not had any cases on campus or in the local community, we cannot avoid its impact at Notre Dame. We have had teams here at the University working diligently on various aspects of the crisis, and they have recently brought our students back from our programs in Rome and Jerusalem.
    …

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Notre Dame values the many people of different nationalities and cultures who are cherished members of our community. It is important that we avoid stigmatizing anyone who comes from a country where the coronavirus is prevalent or who has been in quarantine.