Recommendations for a Safe Return to Campus

From: President Heckler
To: Faculty and Staff
Posted: June 9, 2020 at 9 p.m.

Dear Colleagues,

I hope your summer is off to as pleasant a beginning as you can muster under the circumstances, and that you are finding ways to conserve some much-needed time for restoration, whether it’s physical, mental, emotional, or spiritual. Thank you once again for your adaptability and patience over the past few months as we’ve navigated this uncertain time together.

As you know, various task forces have been regularly discussing Valpo’s plan for a safe return to campus this fall with safety protocols that will guide the safe reopening of campus. You can read the full plan here.

Additionally, please join a Town Hall for faculty and staff on Thursday, June 11 at 11 a.m. CDT. During this meeting, I will offer a brief opening, then a group of panelists will be available to answer questions about the safety protocols. Panelists will include Chuck Garber, assistant chief of police, Kelley Eshenaur, director of the Health Center, and Scott Harrison, executive director and chief human resource officer. Rick AmRhein will serve as moderator.

Please email questions in advance to rick.amrhein@valpo.edu or submit them during the meeting. You can access the meeting here.

Given the rapidly evolving external environment, these protocols represent the most current thinking in each major area and will likely continue to evolve with governmental guidance and the experience of Valpo and other higher education institutions across the state and nation.

We will continue to take a thoughtful, measured approach in each step of our response to national and global health and financial threats. Above all, the health and safety of our University community remain paramount.

I look forward to welcoming you all back to campus in August as we continue to deliver the holistic educational experience for which Valparaiso University is known.

Sincerely,

Mark A. Heckler, Ph.D.
President
Valparaiso University