To the University community,

I am pleased to share with you the report of the COVID-19 Strategic Task Force chaired by Provost Byrnes.  As you know, I charged the Task Force to provide recommendations to me for our return to on-campus operations.  Please find for your review the full report: www.mtsu.edu/covidtaskforce.

In summary, some of the key recommendations include: 

• Campus will be open this Fall, but with social distancing measures in effect;
• A variety of class formats will be used: on-ground, online and hybrid;
• Our goal will be to reduce the density of people in classrooms;
• “Hands on” courses will get priority for on-ground spaces;
• Although the start and end dates of the semester will remain the same, fall break will be cancelled and on-campus class meetings will end before Thanksgiving; all exams will be held online;
• We will follow health guidelines in running events;
• Enhanced cleaning and disinfecting standards will be implemented;
• We will provide appropriate PPE to employees;
• We will allow remote working arrangements and alternate work schedules, as appropriate, practical and approved by supervisors.

I am scheduling two Virtual Town Hall sessions to hear your thoughts and feedback. Instructions on how to access these sessions will be provided early next week.

10    a.m.      Wednesday, June 3

1 p.m.         Thursday, June 4

I deeply appreciate the hard work and dedication of Provost Byrnes and the task force members in preparing these recommendations for my review.

I hope that you and your family remain safe and have a great weekend.

Sincerely,

Sidney A. McPhee
President
Sidney.McPhee@mtsu.edu