Dear Students, Faculty, and Staff:

As you are aware, the news and information surrounding COVID-19 is evolving rapidly, and I�d like to update you on the latest developments at Monmouth University. This unprecedented situation requires us to make decisions in real time as we respond to the most current public health guidance, which has been changing moment to moment.

Business Continuity and Remote Work Arrangements

At this time, University offices remain open and operational with enhanced sanitation measures in place to protect the health of the University community. Employees with the ability to work from home should review the feasibility of remote work arrangements with their area vice president or dean. Employees who are unable to come to work for any reason should speak with their area vice president or dean to discuss options.

Remote Instruction and Learning March 23 to April 3

In response to the current guidance, we have made the decision to move to remote instruction and learning from March 23 through April 3. We understand that some coursework may require access to campus labs or studios. We appreciate your patience as we work with faculty to identify the best way to accommodate these needs. We will continue to monitor the situation and will update you as soon as possible on plans for learning and instruction starting April 4. Questions may be directed to the Office of the Provost at 732-571-3405 or provost@monmouth.edu.

Residential Life

At this time, we ask all students to vacate the residence halls until April 3. We understand that, for a variety of reasons, some students cannot return home. Please be assured that we will work with these students to ensure they can remain on campus with our support. Students may request to reside on campus by completing this online request form.  All students, including those who have previously received permission to reside on campus during spring break must complete this electronic form. All forms will be reviewed, and you will receive a response via email. Students who need access to their belongings may schedule an individual appointment by emailing reslife@monmouth.edu. The Health Center, dining services, library, and fitness center will continue to be available with modified hours for those students who remain on campus.

Meetings and Events

All on-campus student events scheduled through April 3 are cancelled. Any other programs, meetings, or events are limited to no more than 15 people. Exceptions require the approval of the area vice president or dean.

Intercollegiate Athletics

The University and the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference have cancelled all spring athletics competition for the remainder of the semester, effective immediately.

Health Services

The Health Center will be open during this time. If you feel ill and/or have a fever, you should contact your health care provider or call the Monmouth University Health Center prior to being seen. You may call the Health Center for a telephone screening at 732-571-3464 so they may best direct your care.

Psychological Counseling and Support

We realize this crisis is causing significant anxiety and stress. If you are in need of counseling or support, please contact the Counseling and Psychological Services office at 732-571-7517.

The University continues to work closely with local, state, and federal health agencies, and we will continue to update you accordingly through email and on our COVID-19 information webpage. The Crisis Management Team will continue to monitor this situation and lead the coordinated response for our campus.

Thank you again for your patience and understanding as we work through this together.

Sincerely,

Dr. Patrick Leahy
President

Dear Faculty and Staff Members:

As part of our ongoing efforts to keep you informed, I am providing an update about our planning and response to the evolving COVID-19 situation.

We are continuing our preparation for the possibility of virtual coursework and programming beginning March 23. Our class cancellation gives us the necessary time to develop these plans and work through contingency scenarios.

All University-sponsored international travel is prohibited and all personal international travel is strongly discouraged. Currently, although discouraged, there are no restrictions on domestic travel. If you elect to travel and feel ill and/or have a fever during your trip or upon your return, you should contact your health care provider or call the Monmouth University Health Center prior to being seen. You may call the Health Center for a telephone screening at 732-571-3464 so they may best direct your care.

On-campus events scheduled through March 22 have been postponed or cancelled, however, the University remains open and operational with enhanced sanitation measures in place to protect the health of the University community. If you have questions about remote working options, please direct them to your area vice president or dean.

The University continues to work closely with local, state, and federal health agencies, and we will continue to update you accordingly. During this challenging time, I am reminded of the strength of community that makes this University so exceptional. I am grateful for your patience and ongoing collaboration as we work to adapt to this rapidly changing situation.

Sincerely,

Dr. Patrick F. Leahy

President

Dear Members of the Campus Community:

Effective immediately and with an abundance of caution, Monmouth University is cancelling all classes (face-to-face, hybrid, and online) for the remainder of this week, with spring break beginning as scheduled on Saturday, March 14. We encourage students to safely return home and avoid travel during this time. Faculty members will advise on changes to course syllabi and make-up dates for midterm exams. Residential and dining services will remain open for students living on campus; all commuter students should remain at home.

On Monday, March 9, a student contacted Health Services to report flu-like symptoms and was transported to Monmouth Medical Center for further evaluation. No additional information is known about the student’s condition at this time.

We are asking faculty and staff to continue to report to work to prepare for the possibility of delivering all courses and programs virtually—at least temporarily—starting March 23.  University offices will remain open but any employee experiencing any flu-like symptoms should remain at home and not report to work. The University has enhanced its disinfecting and cleaning protocols.

Monmouth University continues to work closely with local, state, and federal health agencies, and we will update the campus community as additional information becomes available.

We want to emphasize that this action is a precaution taken to provide peace of mind to students, faculty, staff, and families. There are currently no confirmed cases of COVID-19 associated with the university. We will keep you updated and informed as more information becomes available.

Sincerely,

Dr. Patrick F. Leahy

President

Dear Students and Colleagues:

Earlier today I was made aware of highly offensive actions by several members of our student body directed at players on the opposing team during last night’s men’s basketball game. Please be assured that we are working swiftly to gather additional details and to directly address the behavior with those involved. 

We value every member of our campus community.  Strong and inclusive communities are built on a bond of trust. When that bond is broken, we take it very seriously. Discrimination of any kind will not be tolerated on this campus. 

We are committed to providing a safe and inclusive community for all – one where everyone is valued and affirmed for who they are – and we will do everything possible to ensure this commitment is strengthened moving forward. Please trust that I will update the campus community as we investigate further. 

Dr. Patrick Leahy
President

To the Members of the Monmouth University Community:

As you are aware from our previous updates, as well as from the abundance of information being shared publicly, the novel coronavirus, or COVID-19, continues to spread. We continue to monitor this situation and take guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the New Jersey Department of Health (NJDOH), and local county health officials.

University Sponsored Travel

Following the March 2, 2020 guidance from the NJDOH advising universities to postpone or cancel study abroad programs that could expose students and staff to the potential community spread of COVID-19, I have made the decision to suspend all University-sponsored spring break study abroad travel, effective immediately. The university is working with the students and faculty to examine the ramifications of the suspensions, including financial penalties. At the moment, only the travel portion of the courses are suspended, which means that faculty will be working on alternate protocols to deliver other units and course content.  I’ve asked faculty members to communicate directly with their students.  As of now, this suspension applies to international trips and travel only. All domestic trips, conference travel, and other travel on university business during the next few weeks, including spring break travel, remain unaffected by this suspension. Please stay tuned for periodic updates as we continue to monitor the situation and comply with CDC and other government issued guidelines.

As for upcoming trips in the summer, we will continue to monitor the situation and provide ongoing guidelines.

Given the rapidly evolving situation, I feel it is important that we take all available precautions to support the health and safety of our students, faculty, and staff. While this means that some students and faculty must forgo opportunities for global learning and service at this time, we will continue to monitor the situation for future planning purposes and will assist affected students who have concerns related to academic progress and recouping costs from our travel partners.

Personal Travel

Since the situation is changing daily and will likely continue to do so in the coming weeks, we encourage you to monitor the CDC and the U.S. Department of State websites regarding your personal travel plans, and consider postponing personal international travel until the CDC lifts its travel warnings and feels that COVID-19 is under control.

If you are planning any personal travel to an international destination, we highly recommend that you inform yourself on the healthcare system status of your travel destination, and that you stay advised of potential disruptions to your re-entry to the United States and your ability to return successfully to the Monmouth University campus.

We may advise members of the University community who travel internationally to an area of concern to remain off campus for 14 days due to the incubation period for this virus.  If you feel ill during this time and/or have a fever, you should contact your health care provider or call the Monmouth University Health Center prior to being seen. You may call the Health Center for a telephone screening at 732-571-3464 so they may best direct your care.

General Practice

Whether you plan to travel or not, I urge you to be especially diligent in practicing behaviors that help prevent the spread of disease, including washing your hands, avoiding shaking hands, covering your nose and mouth with a tissue when coughing or sneezing (or an elbow or shoulder if no tissue is available), and staying home if you are sick.

We will continue to update you as necessary through email and on our COVID-19 information webpage. The Crisis Management Team will continue to monitor this situation and lead the coordinated response for our campus.

Thank you for your cooperation as we work to keep our campus community healthy and safe.

Patrick F. Leahy
President

To the Members of the University Community:

I am writing to follow up on Vice President Nagy’s February 7, 2020 communication regarding coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and the University’s preparedness in this area.

As you know, the virus that causes COVID-19 has continued to spread beyond the initial outbreak in China and is now in many countries, including the United States, albeit a relatively small number of cases. Information from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization suggests that the virus may affect more people and it is prudent for all countries and organizations to prepare accordingly.

Please be assured that the University is doing so. University officials are monitoring the situation carefully and working with the appropriate local and state public health officials to stay abreast of this rapidly evolving situation. In addition, the University has activated the Crisis Management Team to lead our coordinated efforts on campus.

During the course of the past week, we have been in touch with all of our students studying abroad and our study abroad partners to discuss the situation and to ensure appropriate planning and precautions are in place. We currently have students studying in Australia, Germany, and England. There are no students studying in Italy at this time. We will continue to assess the situation as it may relate to study abroad and faculty-led programs for spring break, summer, and fall semester travel and make decisions regarding these programs in consultation with our partner institutions and appropriate University personnel.

All of us should be reminded that there are many preventive measures for us to follow to prevent the spread of the flu, the coronavirus, and other common viruses. Among them are:

• Wash hands often with soap and water. If not available, use hand sanitizer.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth with unwashed hands.
• Avoid contact with people who are sick.
• Stay home while you are sick and avoid contact with others.
• Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue or sleeve when coughing or sneezing.
• Place used tissues into a wastebasket and then wash your hands.

The recent global events can produce a wide and fluctuating range of emotional responses, which may vary from person to person. As always, Counseling and Psychological Services staff are available to consult with members of the campus community regarding any distress, and they can be contacted at 732.571.7517 or MUCounseling@monmouth.edu.

Please stay tuned for regular updates as this situation unfolds.

Patrick F. Leahy
President

Dear Members of the Monmouth University Community:

I want to share with you two organizational changes which are important for you to know. 

The first change is that Dr. Zaneta Rago-Craft, Director of the Intercultural Center, will report directly to Dr. Rekha Datta, Interim Provost and Senior Vice President.  This change will allow the important work of the Center to be fully immersed in the life of the University supporting faculty, students, and staff.  I shared this with the President’s Advisory Council on Diversity and Inclusion and feel it is important to share with all of you, too. 

Secondly, Paul Dement, Director of Government and Community Relations, will return to the Office of University Advancement to coordinate all our external efforts in a more concentrated way. 

These changes will go into effect January 2020, and I am very grateful for everyone’s flexibility in this process.  Please feel free to send any questions directly to me.

Sincerely,

Dr. Patrick Leahy
President

Dear Members of the University Community:

One week ago on Wednesday, November 13^th, we launched our Strategic Planning process with a fun community activity – the Strategic Plan-a-thon. As a result of that effort and a four-day electronic version of the event, over 1,000 ideas were shared with the Strategic Planning Steering Committee. Participation was wide spread among our students (343), faculty (258) and staff/administration (450) and we so appreciate your taking the time to come out to kick our process off.

The Steering Committee has begun reviewing these ideas and formulating from them common themes for further development.

The next step in the process will be a series of forums, targeted to specific groups and open sessions, to be held during the week of December 2, 2019. The following outlines the schedule for the forums:

DATE	GROUP	TIME	LOCATION
Monday, December 2	Staff/Administration	12:00 pm – 1:00 pm	Edison  E201
Tuesday, December 3	Open	3:00 pm – 4:00 pm	Affilito Conference Room, Stafford Center
Wednesday, December 4	Open	1:30 pm – 2:30 pm	Bey Hall 229
	Students	3:30 pm – 4:30 pm	Anacon A
	Faculty	4:30 pm – 5:30 pm	Wilson Auditorium
Thursday, December 5	Open	10:30 am – 11:30 am	Club 107-108

We hope you will join us for one of these sessions as we work to develop our new Strategic Plan.

Sincerely,

The Monmouth University Strategic Plan Steering Committee

Dr. Patrick Leahy, Co-Chair	Mary Anne Nagy, Co-Chair
Nina Anderson	Jennifer Lawlor
Demi Ardic	Dr. Tracey Mulvaney
Naser Haroon	Dr. Zaneta Rago-Craft
Dr. Christine Hatchard	Bea Rogers
Dr. Christopher Hirschler	Dr. Robert H. Scott III
Amanda Klaus	Dr. Nancy Uddin

Dear Members of the Campus Community:

I am writing to invite your participation in a Strategic Plan Kick-Off event to be held on Wednesday, November 13, 2019 from 10 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. in Anacon Lobby of the Rebecca Stafford Student Center.  In addition, there will be a session available at the Graduate Center Lobby from 2:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.

The “Strategic Plan-a-Thon” will be an opportunity for all members of our community – faculty, staff, and students – to share their thoughts focusing on three key words: Start, Stop, and Enhance through a post it note placed under each heading.

Members of the Steering Committee will be there throughout the day to assist you with what I hope will be a fun community exercise to kick off this important project. 

Light refreshments will be served.

Please take a few minutes out of your day to stop by to participate in this important endeavor. 

Sincerely,