Dear Campus Community,

As a school of opportunity, we remain steadfast in our mission to empower Kentucky communities with EKU graduates who provide vital services to citizens from every walk of life. But at this pivotal time, we must take steps to ensure the safety of our students, faculty, staff and our community by taking some drastic but necessary steps to limit the potential spread of COVID-19.

Eastern Kentucky University is announcing today that effective immediately, several changes necessitated by the COVID-19 outbreak will be made to University operations and instruction for the spring 2020 semester.

The following University operational changes will take place in response to public health recommendations:

Academic Instruction

All instruction will be delivered remotely beginning March 23, through the end of the semester for spring 2020 courses. EKU online courses (eCampus) will continue to follow their original schedule.

Students should expect to hear from faculty by Wednesday, March 18, about the extension of remote instruction until the end of the 2020 spring semester.

Housing/Dining

Students will be required to return to their permanent residences away from campus. Class instruction will continue remotely through the end of the spring semester. Look for more details about moving out of the residence halls from the Housing Office. Students should be moved out by Wednesday, April 1.

For students without a permanent residence, they must receive approval to remain on campus. Please complete the appeal form at Housing & Residence Life Closure Appeal Form.

A process is being developed for crediting student accounts for housing and dining services. Further information will be communicated directly to affected individuals.

Stratton Café and Starbucks will remain open for EKU students and employees for carryout meals only. See more details at EKU COVID-19 FAQ.â€‹

Operations

As of today, March 17, all buildings on campus will be closed to the general public until Monday, March 30. We will communicate hours of operation for those buildings that must remain open to support essential student services.

We will communicate regularly throughout this week and beyond about how we will manage the remainder of the semester and the critical work we must do.

For many, remote work will continue after this week. Others will be reporting to campus on an as-needed basis.

Model Laboratory School

Model will continue to offer Non-Traditional Instruction to all students until further notice.

Events

In-person events will be canceled or postponed until the end of the semester. Organizations may continue to meet remotely when possible.

We are postponing the spring 2020 commencement ceremony. We are doing this to ensure we abide by CDC guidelines about large group gatherings and to guarantee the safety of all involved in that event .

The ceremony will be rescheduled in the future. We will communicate our plans for this event soon.

Students will complete the semester and will earn their degrees. We are only postponing the public ceremony.

All public events are suspended, including campus-only events, public tours and the EKU Center for the Arts events. Additional information will be provided for any activities that can be rescheduled or offered through alternative methods.

Every new day of the COVID-19 outbreak brings societal changes that are enacted to stem the spread of the virus. As a public institution of higher education, we strive to be a leader in making thoughtful operational changes only when necessary; and that is always student-focused, safety-focused and whenever possible done in a way that minimizes the impact on students, faculty and staff.

Some of our core programs include nursing, public health and public safety, among others. Many of our amazing graduates are on the front lines right now, working long hours to keep the public safe, heal the sick, and do the vital work they were trained for at EKU. We need to do all we can at EKU and as a community to assist them in every way possible, and that includes doing everything we can to stem the spread of the virus. That’s why we have enacted these critical changes for the spring semester.

We want to keep you as informed as possible in a very fluid and dynamic situation. We will continue to communicate as often as needed. Our COVID-19 Information page is being continuously updated with the latest information on University services and resources. We will be making more adjustments as we move forward. I ask for your patience and flexibility as we respond to the rapidly changing guidance from our local, state and federal officials. We understand the natural anxiety these challenges can cause, and we should all be mindful of our physical and mental health and well-being. We must take care of ourselves and each other. I assure you that we are always stronger together, and we will navigate through this to brighter days ahead.

Please stay healthy and well,

David T. McFaddin

EKU Interim President

Published on March 17, 2020