Message from the Office of the President: Dial-Back on Pandemic Restrictions, Board of Regents Election, and Task Force on Higher Education

Dear Twin Cities students, faculty, and staff,

Theodore Roosevelt was right when he said, “Believe you can and you’re halfway there.” As we’ve now crossed the halfway point of the semester, the belief is there. Yet, as our own Dr. Mike Osterholm shared at last Friday’s Board of Regents meeting, we must continue to stay committed in our efforts to prevent the spread of COVID-19 as we continue to march towards the light at the end of this long tunnel. I appreciate all you are doing and write with several updates. 

Board of Regents Election

Last night, the Minnesota Legislature met in joint convention to elect four new University of Minnesota Regents to a six-year term. The new members of the Board include:

Ruth Johnson - First Congressional District
James Farnsworth - Fourth Congressional District
Kodi Verhalen - Sixth Congressional District
Doug Huebsch - Seventh Congressional District

We welcome these new Regents to the University and look forward to their service to our community.

We also thank our outgoing Regents for their service. University Regents receive no pay, serve long hours at their own expense, and do so for the greater good of this institution and the State of Minnesota. Regents Tom Anderson, Richard Beeson, Michael Hsu, and Randy Simonson have played important and integral roles in our shared success and we are grateful.

Dial-Back in Minnesota Restrictions and Vaccine Update

Last week, Governor Walz “dialed back” a number of pandemic-related restrictions and we are analyzing the impact of all of them on our community. Most notably, this guidance will affect commencements. The Provost and deans are working through the logistics and you can expect updates by your college as soon as the commencement decision for your program has been made. All commencements will also be entered into the University Calendar so you may search for any given college.

The Governor also noted that Minnesota has expanded the groups now eligible for vaccines. You can learn more about this expansion from the Minnesota Department of Health. We understand how frustrating this process can be as we all seek to be vaccinated. You may wish to use the State Vaccine Connector to assist you in locating a vaccine. Your local medical clinic or pharmacy may also be helpful resources.

Work from Home Update

As you know, most faculty and staff have been working from home consistent with the Governor’s previous executive order and have planned to do so through June 30. But last week’s orders from the Governor included an update on work-from-home instructions. Starting in mid-April, as per the Governor, working from home is no longer mandatory.

At the University, we will continue to support working from home whenever possible for everyone’s increased safety. To provide clarity for faculty and staff, we have extended the work from home date until August 2, systemwide. We believe this extension will ensure safety and time for planning.

If you need to return to campus sooner than August 2 to conduct your work, please work with your supervisor to coordinate a return and to update your unit’s sunrise plan as needed. We continue to require facial coverings on campus, as well as physical distancing, hand washing, and avoiding crowded gatherings.

Taskforce on Higher Education and Opportunity

Today the University joined nearly 40 institutions to launch the Taskforce on Higher Education and Opportunity. Along with our Taskforce member partners, we are driven to act by the challenges caused by the pandemic, income inequality, the changing nature of work, and levels of unemployment among recent college graduates that are nearly double those seen in the 2008 recession. The Taskforce will provide greater opportunity to students and communities, while reimagining higher education's contribution to society and sharing insights with the broader education community.

The effort brings together American higher education leaders, including public, private, two-year, and four-year institutions that represent 2.5 million students nationwide. We are focused on three key goals: ensuring student success despite the worst recession since World War II, partnering with local communities, and reimagining how higher education is delivered.

Member institutions will take individual and collective action to meet the shared mission of the Taskforce through new goals set every six months. The first round of initiatives is launching now to prepare the graduates of 2021-2023 for success in the post-pandemic economy. Programs will be developed to support local communities, as well as reimagine the future of higher education overall.

Resources for our Community

We continue to find ourselves amidst other ongoing challenges in our community and nationally. Remember that the University has many resources to help you navigate through such challenges. They include:

• Student mental health resources
• Faculty and staff mental health resources
• Opportunities for support and discussion related to the Derek Chauvin trial

Voice, Art, and Community Series

I hope you are regularly checking the calendar of events for this series. Now, more than ever, we need voices that challenge us, move us, and strengthen our community. In this same spirit, I’m reminded of the words of French artist Rosa Bonheur, born on this day in 1822 and one of the most famous women painters of the 19th century. She noted, “Each of us has a spark, and we’ve all got to account for what we do with it.”

Please continue to stay healthy, safe, and well.

With warmest regards,
Joan Gabel