Return to campus Aug. 2
by Sean Parnell, UAA Chancellor |
Dear Anchorage Campus Faculty and Staff,
I look forward to this coming Monday, Aug. 2, when the campus will open to all faculty, staff and students. This is a moment to be celebrated after more than 16 months of mostly remote work. It is also a time to remain vigilant about protecting ourselves, each other and UAA against COVID-19.
Every team member in UAA leadership cares deeply about your health and safety. UAA personnel have worked diligently these many months to ensure the health and safety of all Seawolves and will continue to do so through this next transition. UA system and UAA leadership all take into account CDC guidance and local conditions when establishing and updating COVID-19 protocols. As you likely know, the CDC published new guidance related to masking in indoor spaces, even for those already vaccinated, due to high transmission rates of the delta variant.
In light of this, I, along with your UAA leadership, have been working closely with members of our on-site campus operations team and consulting with members of our campus community 鈥� including the Faculty Senate E-Board, staff, administrators, the USUAA president, deans, directors and others 鈥� to address concerns about returning to campus safely next week.
UAA, UAF and UAS have also been in discussions with UA President Pitney regarding what this means for the system overall. I anticipate more information will be available in the coming days regarding how the CDC鈥檚 guidance will impact campus operations. Please stay tuned.
The good news is we are all learning how to adapt in the safest manner, and this is part of our path to defeating the coronavirus.
Sincerely,
Sean Parnell,
UAA Chancellor