Dear SLU Students:
These most challenging yet promising times have been filled with fears, hopes, heartbreak, and uncertainty. I hope that you and your families are safe and well and looking forward, as I am, to some return to normalcy and better days in the near future.
Today, I am writing to let you know what we are doing to ensure that your academic experience this fall will be safe, productive, and exciting.
Here is what I can tell you with certainty: All fall semester classes at SLU will begin on August 26th in distance learning mode. Although reopening the University as a whole is pending State directives, CUNY’s Board of Trustees approved a resolution last week that gives the University’s 25 colleges flexibility in planning for the fall semester in ways that meet the needs and challenges of each specific campus community. (You can read the Chancellor’s recent message explaining this in detail by clicking
here
.) SLU will return to in-person instruction when (1) State and University guidelines permit; (2) we confirm that specific conditions have been met for returning to SLU’s campus safely; and (3) our plan for reopening the campus is approved. In that regard, an SLU Reopening Committee comprised of students, faculty and staff has developed a comprehensive set of additional guidelines that provides for limited access to the SLU campus for the purposes of student services. If in-person classes resume mid-semester, accommodations will be made for students who cannot return to campus.
If you have not yet enrolled for the fall semester, please do so, with the assurance that SLU’s world-class faculty and excellent academic support staff are ready and eager to help you commence—or continue—your academic studies.
Furthermore, SLU faculty and staff have been working diligently to enrich your learning experience and assist you with all your academic needs during this period. O
ver the past few months we have developed new distance learning practices; expanded our laptop loaning program; created a student portal to help you access resources; prepared videos to support students inside and outside the classroom; launched a new writing workshop series and writing groups to support student success; developed a calendar of exciting virtual community events; and so much more.
If you have concerns about continuing your education due to personal or financial issues, we can help with that, too. Contact your program coordinator, academic advisor, or SLU’s wellness counselor: they are here to assist you and make sure you succeed. For tuition assistance, please visit our
“Financing Your Education” webpage
. If you face an unexpected financial crisis during the semester, SLU has emergency funds that may help you stay in school.
I celebrate the fact that SLU is a community filled with people who care about each other. It is a hallmark of our School, evidenced most visibly by the perseverance and resilience of our students, many of whom are also essential workers on the front lines of the war against the virus, and whose endurance and sacrifice we honor. This mutual caring will be crucial as we move forward. Please be assured that we at SLU care about you, and are more committed and determined than ever to help you continue your academic journey and reach your goals.
Sincerely,
