UPDATE (11:11 a.m.)

East Lansing, Mich. (WLNS) — MSU has learned of a probable case of coronavirus linked to campus, according to the same email that President Stanley sent out regarding the transition to online classes today.

In the email, Stanley said the university learned of the probable case on March 11. The Ingham County Health Department is currently investigating and monitoring the case.

Yesterday, Governor Gretchen Whimter announced two individuals tested positive for COVID-10, resulting in a declaration of a state of emergency to slow the spread of the disease.

MSU is providing updates on the coronavirus as it relates to its campus on this page here.

Other U.S. universities that have moved classes online include:

Amherst College

Columbia University and Barnard College

Hofstra University

Ohio State University

Indiana University (will move classes online beginning after spring break)

University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)

University of California, Berkeley

University of Southern California

University of California, San Diego

University of Washington

Seattle University

Stanford University

Princeton University

Purdue University

Harvard University

Duke University

UPDATE (10:05 a.m.)

East Lansing, Mich. (WLNS) — MSU classes will officially begin online instruction today at noon, according to an email from President Stanley.

Online instruction will last until April 20.

Effective today at noon, MSU is suspending face-to-face instruction in lectures, seminars and classroom settings and moving coursework to virtual instruction. This suspension of in-person classes will last until Monday, April 20 and we will reevaluate this decision on an ongoing basis, sharing additional updates or modifications as more information becomes available. MSU President Stanley

In his letter, Stanley said students can work remotely from their residence, emphasizing that students should keep themselves at a social distance from one another to reduce the risk of contracting any illness.

Stanley said the campus will remain open during the period of online instruction, but the university is still evaluating large events that have already been scheduled. Stanley said the administration will provide more information regarding larger events in the near future. In regards to future events, he wrote, “we will not be scheduling new events with more than 100 individuals in a confined space during for this time period unless there are special circumstances.”

Speaking on the coronavirus, Stanley said:

The novel coronavirus situation is evolving daily. Providing fully remote learning for so many disparate classes will be an enormous task, and I am very grateful for the faculty, staff and students who are working around the clock to get this done. We won’t get everything right the first time, and I appreciate your understanding and continued cooperation in the coming days as the university works through needed changes and modifications to these plans.

6 News will update this story with more details as more info becomes available.

ORIGINAL STORY:

East Lansing, Mich (WLNS) — MSU professors are being asked to prepare to switch to online classes in light of last night’s emails from President Stanley and Provost Sullivan and Associate Provost Terry Curry addressing coronavirus.

MSU has developed a website specifically for preparing for the transition to online instruction, which can be found here: keepteaching.msu.edu

Many people on campus are using D2L. If you are not using D2L, please inform your supervisor and we will do our best to provide assistance. If you are an experienced or expert D2L user, please volunteer your time to help colleagues who may need assistance.

MSU has suspended international travel and domestic air travel is strongly discouraged. For the most part, travel to conferences is not worth the risks, the university administration said. This applies to graduate students as well.

Social distancing is key and it is best not to gather as large groups in tight spaces. Hence, all college meetings on Friday, March 13 are canceled.

For updates on coronavirus as it relates to MSU, visit MSU’s dedicated page. https://msu.edu/coronavirus.