Friday, August 21, 2020
Video message to NKU campus community
Happy Friday afternoon, Norse Nation. Well, it's week one of the new academic year. And once again, welcome back to all our students, faculty and staff at the start of a truly unusual semester. It has been wonderful to see many of our students, faculty and staff back here on campus as we adapt to the challenges of the pandemic. These past several months have been trying for our community and our country in so many ways. So let's take a moment and be thankful that the community is back with opportunities for our students to be their best self and to achieve their goals here at NKU. It has been a different start to the new academic year. With Move-In Day turning into Move-In week to allow for social distancing in our residence Halls. We celebrated VictorFest with several socially-distanced and virtual activities. And yet, it was good to connect with each and everyone of you. Even from a distance. Most importantly, classes, whether face-to-face, hybrid or online format, were back in session. Still, the reality is that we must remain vigilant against a dangerous virus. For safety, the average in-person class size of seats is down from an average class size of seats last fall. And in-person and hybrid classes will move to fully online/remote delivery after Thanksgiving break, including final exam week. We have limited residency in student housing to enable social distancing, reserving some areas for quarantine if needed and prioritizing room assignments for nonlocal students, students with extenuating life circumstances and first-year students required to live on campus. Most of our food service is carry-out to accommodate social distancing. We continue to support the educational journey of our international students by providing housing, dining services and quarantine accommodations if needed. We have taken these measures and more to reduce the spread of the virus on campus, and we will continue to keep you informed on the latest through our new COVID- Regional Statistics dashboard. It’s easy to find on our COVID- website under statistics. Our students, faculty and staff live on both sides of the river, and this dashboard offers a look all around us to guide our decisions as we head through this semester. Please keep in mind our Norse Nine principles that encourage safe health habits including social distancing and wearing a facial covering on campus- even outdoors. Don’t forget to stop by the Student Union to pick up your free facial coverings. All current faculty, staff and students just have to show their All Card to get one. We must do our part to protect each other because we will be tested and challenged this year like never before. In my Fall convocation remarks, I mentioned that we would focus on three key areas this year. Engagement and well-being, with particular emphasis on advancing student mental health. With an extra dose of care, compassion and empathy with each other. Advancing equity and the inclusion of diversity, With a focus on key access, completion and career and community engagement goals. And financial sustainability, as we navigate an increasingly unstable economic environment. Despite the current headwinds, I am optimistic about our future and our capacity to move forward. and continue with our quest to serve our students, region and our country. It is because of the extraordinary faculty and staff, that I have the privilege to work with every day. Thank you. Thank you all for all that you do every day to support our university and our students. I wish you good health and a successful and rewarding rest of the semester. Have a great weekend.
