It’s not too much to say we had one of the most successful fall returns to campus in all of higher education across the country.
Still, it wasn’t the normal experience we wanted. While we dutifully covered our faces, washed our hands, and kept appropriate physical distancing, doing so didn’t allow the full and close social interaction and learning engagement we preferred. But we stayed connected in smaller numbers, and mastered Zoom and Kaltura and Brightspace to expand the reach of our teaching and learning, work, and research.
We made it through the fall safely together.
Naturally now, we look ahead to the Spring 2021 semester, scheduled to start January 25, 2021. Looking ahead, we want to be On Track for Maine.
Maine remains among the safest states in the country, but the pandemic nevertheless rages all around us. We want to start and conduct the semester as we did this fall, with a blend of in-person and remote interactions for teaching and learning, work, and research, robust testing and contact tracking, and a communal discipline and commitment to the public guidance of Maine’s CDC and civil authorities, which provided the solid foundation for our success this fall.
We will stay on track for Maine and our students this spring. Over the winter break we will be discussing flexible instruction and course delivery alternatives in case we need to respond to changes in the pandemic and meet our commitment to students in another way. By January 4, 2021, we will announce any needed adjustments to our schedule, class modalities, or general operations to ensure the health and safety of our university communities. We’ll make the best decisions to balance our community and individual health with academic and research progress, knowing your goodwill and resilience will make whatever plan we pursue successful.
Thank you for your work and good will through the fall. It’s an honor to lead such resilient teaching, learning, work, and research communities in service to the State of Maine.
Sincerely,
