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UAF Faculty, staff and students,

Today UA President Johnsen released new guidance on our system level response to the coronavirus pandemic. The Chancellors at each University as well as various members of the university have collaborated on this significant new direction for UAF and for UA more generally. If you have not already done so, please take a few minutes and
read the new guidance (PDF).

At this point there are many processes we are working out in order for UAF to operationalize this guidance. Working together will make this transition to “alternate” models of course delivery happen with the least disruption possible, while recognizing that this is a dramatic shift in operations. We have very dedicated faculty and staff, which gives me confidence that this will work as smoothly and effectively as possible.

We are developing a
frequently asked questions (FAQ) web site, setting up phone numbers to call for specific issues, and bringing together teams to work out details. I met this morning with Vice Chancellors and members of UAF’s incident management team to begin our transitional work. Fortunately, our incident management team and various units in our University (e.g., eCampus) have been going through different scenarios considering this new guidance as a possibility. Also of benefit to us are the many Universities across the country who are going through the same transition and developing best practices from which we can learn and inform. While there have been many significant announcements at other universities about transition to alternative modes of delivery, I expect there are many more to come.

One area that is a significant change for UAF is the limited use of residence halls. Only by exception will students be allowed to remain in residence halls. While this will be a significant disruption, housing, food service, and academic staff are in communication to help ease the transition both for the majority of students who return to their permanent residence and for the few students who remain. Information for students currently residing in UAF residence halls will be posted on
Residence Life’s website. Additional guidance can be found on the UA Coronavirus response website. Please check these sites frequently for the most current information. I will continue to share important information with you as it becomes available.

Thank you for working together and your commitment to UAF during this unique time in our history.

— Dan White, chancellor
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