Dear Immaculata Community,

I hope that you are safe and healthy in these trying times. After another week of rapid and continuous changes, I am sharing another difficult decision that is disappointing, but necessary.

Following the recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and state and local authorities to minimize person-to-person interactions, Immaculata University will continue online instruction only for the remainder of the Spring semester.

All on-campus and off-campus courses will transition to online beginning Saturday, March 21, 2020. All online courses will continue to operate as scheduled. Students must check Immaculata email regularly for important coursework information and directions for the online learning management system (Moodle). Internships, practica, and student teaching will continue as long as the host institution is able to transition students to work remotely. Program directors will work with students to fulfill their requirements if sites cannot offer a remote/online option. The Gabriele Library building is closed, but library resources are available online and staff are available remotely. I urge all students to stay fully engaged in online learning courses and with faculty to ensure productive learning through the remainder of the semester.

I know that our 2020 graduates and their families are anxious to hear about plans for Commencement. While the currently scheduled dates of May 15-17 are uncertain, we are committed to a commencement ceremony, celebrating and honoring our graduates, when it is deemed safe by health officials. We are considering alternative dates, and we will let you know as soon as we can make an informed decision.

Until further notice, campus housing remains closed. I must emphasize that we care about your safety and well-being, and the experts reiterate that the best way to protect yourself is to remain at home. We know that most of our residential students have not fully moved out, and the Office of Residence Life will be communicating with you shortly. In the weeks ahead, we will be also communicating to our residential students about a plan for room and board credits.

Our physical offices will remain closed until further notice. Employees in the facilities, IT and security departments will continue to report to campus based on the schedule developed by your supervisors. All other employees will continue to work remotely until further notice.

I understand how critical it is right now to reduce uncertainty, which is why I am sharing this information as quickly as possible. I ask for your patience and understanding at this time. We have not resolved every detail, but we are working diligently and will assuredly share more information as we can.

Times such as these are both challenging and upsetting. Even under these difficult circumstances, I am very appreciative and proud of the way our IU Community has quickly adjusted. Our faculty and staff have done an extraordinary job shifting courses to online formats, while still ensuring we deliver a quality education to our students.

At this difficult moment in our global history, let us try to be good to one another and pray for a speedy end to the spread of this deadly virus. While disruption and uncertainty can be uncomfortable, we must remember that we are called the MIGHTY MACS for a reason!

Please stay safe and healthy.