Oct. 2 message from President Armacost

Dear Members of the UND Campus,

Please watch my video.

I’d like to offer a quick note of thanks for your hard work this semester, whether you’re a student, a faculty member, or a staff member.  To return to campus during a pandemic has required us to work together and to keep each other safe.

Please continue to take the steps for prevention: wear masks, keep your distance, wash your hands, and avoid large groups. I have appreciated seeing you across the campus taking these steps seriously. I know, this seems like one big sociological experiment to see how individual behaviors—both good and bad—can influence the behaviors of others. But it’s not an experiment, so please continue take the easy actions that will positively impact others. These little things are really big.

Thanks also for patiently waiting for our decision about post-Thanksgiving classes. I felt it was important to continue our current mode of operation with hybrid approaches to classroom learning, some in person and some online. The factors that drove this decision include our success in driving down the number of active cases, the lack of a surge in cases following the three-day Labor Day weekend, and the effective precautions we see in the classroom, with no known in-class transmissions. I know the members of our campus will continue to exhibit the good behaviors mentioned above and will take advantage of opportunities for testing. Please do your part.

To our awesome faculty members: a hearty thank you for what you’ve done to deliver the university’s primary mission. You’ve designed and re-designed your courses, and you’ve been flexible and resilient. The students I have spoken with across the campus truly appreciate what you’ve done to sustain high quality courses and experiences. They want this to continue. As you contemplate the right way for you to finish this semester, please continue to focus on what’s best for your students. They are thrilled to know that the in-class experiences you’ve designed will continue through the end of the semester. Remember to affirm your plans with your department chair/dean and post to your Blackboard site by the end of the day on Friday, Oct 2 (today!).

Enjoy the weekend and thanks for reading.

Andy Armacost
President