Crowdsourcing University Responses To Coronavirus (keeping this near top of page / updated with spreadsheet)
What policies, procedures, restrictions, or warnings is your university or college issuing in regards to the coronavirus (COVID-19)?
Organizers of academic events, academics and administrators considering work-related travel, and institutional decision-makers could all possibly benefit from knowing what other schools are doing and saying about the coronavirus. Please share information about your school’s response in the comments.
Related:
- A crowdsourced list of academic conferences cancelled because of coronavirus
- Articles about coronavirus & academia at Inside Higher Ed
- (added March 9, 2020): Twitter thread from The Chronicle of Higher Education listing universities that are cancelling in-person classes.
- Added March 9, 2020: A Google Docs spreadsheet of university closures (may take a little while to load owing to high traffic):
Further updates:
- March 9, 2020: Qatar has closed all universities and schools, effective tomorrow, “until further notice.” I believe this order applies to Qatar campuses of foreign universities, which include: University of Aberdeen, Northumbria University, Academic Bridge Programme, Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar, Georgetown University School of Foreign Service in Qatar, HEC Paris, Northwestern University in Qatar, Stenden University Qatar, Syscoms Institute, Texas A&M University at Qatar, Virginia Commonwealth University in Qatar, Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar, City College Qatar, German University Qatar, University College London Qatar (UCL Qatar)
- March 9, 2020: The California Department of Public Health has issued guidelines for institutions of higher learning in light of COVID-19, including “If more than five students, faculty, or staff on a campus test positive for COVID-19, the campus administrator should consult with local public health officials for guidance on closing the campus.” (via Ben Hale)
- March 9, 2020: The New York Times reports on temporary closures and other measures being taken at New York area universities.
- March 10, 2020: Harvard tells students not to return after Spring Break, and will move to online-only classes beginning March 23rd.
- March 10, 2020: Austria declares that by next Monday that courses at universities will not be meeting in person and instead should continue online.
University of South Carolina:
Students, faculty or staff traveling to a country with a CDC Travel Warning – Level 3 or an area experiencing widespread or sustained transmission of COVID-19 will be asked to self-quarantine for 14 days upon return at their permanent residence before they can return to campus.
Texas A&M asks for self-quarantine after visiting any Level 2 or 3 location. I believe so far, Japan is the only Level 2 place.
Update on March 11, 2020:
Classes will be cancelled for the week after Spring Break, March 16-22.
All campus events next week (March 16-22) will be cancelled.
From Monday, March 23 through Friday, April 3, we will suspend face-to-face instruction in lectures, discussion sections, seminars and other similar classroom settings and move to virtual instruction.
Same with the University of Texas at Austin—just announced last night.
The University of Alabama System has cancelled all University-related international travel for the month of March, and future travel is suspended.
https://www.uab.edu/news/images/2018/images/covid19/UA_System_COVID-19_Policy.pdf?utm_source=MC_100006781&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=200304+-+Coronavirus&utm_content=updated+interim+policy
Oakland University (Rochester, Michigan) has suspended travel to China, Iran, Italy, and South Korea.
In addition, “The University strongly discourages all campus community members from proceeding with personal travel plans to any area affected by the coronavirus outbreak. Those planning to return to campus from these areas are advised that the University is implementing an honor system for reporting such travel to [the campus health center]. This includes a mandatory health screening at [the health center] prior to taking part in any other campus activity and engaging in voluntary quarantine and/or self-isolation as deemed necessary by a primary care physician or [the health center].”
https://www.oakland.edu/coronavirus/
Here’s an article with a lot of useful information: “6 Ways Universities Are Responding To Coronavirus” (NPR)
https://www.npr.org/2020/03/06/812462913/6-ways-universities-are-responding-to-coronavirus
Southern Methodist University has called back all students and faculty from all work or study related international travel (anywhere out of the U.S.)- also no university money can be used for international travel for the foreseeable future. People returning are asked to self-quarantine for two weeks.
As you would imagine, the National University of Singapore has taken a number of substantial steps, including:
– Prohibiting events with more than 50 people gathered physically, including classes and conferences. Many events/classes with fewer than that number have been cancelled or moved online as well.
– To mitigate the burdens of the above, ramped up support for online teaching (we’re all rapidly becoming familiar with running classes in Zoom)
– Twice-daily temperature checks (self-administered, reported to online portal)
– Twice-daily sanitization of commonly touched surfaces of offices (staff-administered)
– All visitors to a department (i.e., anyone physically entering a department who is not based there) have to register details for contact tracing
– Split teams – departments split into two groups; neither are permitted to physically interact with the other group. This may mean moving to different offices.
– Deferral of travel to majorly affected countries (China, Iran, Italy, Republic of Korea and Japan)
This is in addition to government mandated things that affect the university like mandatory Stay-at-Home orders for those who recently travelled to China, Iran, Republic of Korea and northern Italy, and suspension of allowing entry to visitors to Singapore who recently travelled to those countries.
University of Washington:
“Update – 03/06/2020: As a way to increase precautionary health measures, such as social distancing, and ensure the successful conclusion of the quarter for UW students on all of our campuses, as of March 9, 2020, classes and finals will not be held in person for the remainder of winter quarter, which ends March 20. Our campuses will remain open to serve all those who rely on our services, including hospitals and clinics, dining services, residence halls, and recreation and athletics facilities. Husky athletics events will proceed as scheduled. We plan to resume normal class operations when spring quarter begins March 30, pending public health guidance.”
It’s time to panic once the universities start canceling athletic events. 🙂
Good one! That made me laugh!
Highlights of Cuse response:
University-Sponsored Travel: All University-sponsored faculty, staff and student travel to a country the CDC indicates as a Level 2 or higher travel advisory (given “community spread” of coronavirus) is prohibited. As of this writing, this includes China, Iran, Italy, Japan and South Korea. Additionally, until further notice, we are requiring that any events or guest lectures featuring scholars traveling from these five countries be rescheduled or canceled. We will continue to monitor CDC travel advisories and update the prohibited travel listing as appropriate.
Non-Essential Travel Counsel: We strongly encourage faculty and staff to consider canceling any non-essential international travel. Further, we suggest limiting or postponing domestic air travel at this time. We understand there may be extenuating circumstances that require you to travel by air. We encourage you to contact Seth Tucker, director of global safety and support, at [email protected] or 315.443.1968 to seek additional guidance.
Spring Break Travel: Students with spring break plans are strongly encouraged to consider the reported presence of coronavirus in or near your planned destination. We are discouraging all non-essential domestic airline travel, as well as all international airline travel, to avoid the possibility that your freedom of movement may become restricted due to travel restrictions and health precautions in place during your planned period of travel or after your travel concludes.
Spring Break International Study Abroad Programs: Given a growing concern over future international travel restrictions, which may limit individual freedom of movement within and between certain foreign countries, we have canceled all University-sponsored spring break study abroad programs. We are taking this action in the interest of the safety, security and free movement of our students and faculty. An increasing number of our peer academic institutions in New York and across the United States have done the same. Impacted students should contact the Syracuse Abroad office at 315.443.3471 or [email protected].
Here’s the message we got from the administration at UNC-Chapel Hill (edited down to just the guidelines):
1-A: Travel Restrictions/Domestic
The University is restricting University-affiliated travel within the United States to locations where a state of emergency has been declared related to COVID-19 and coronavirus. In addition, we strongly discourage personal travel to these areas.
Given the rapidly changing nature of the virus, if you choose to travel to these affected areas you may be asked to do a 14-day self-quarantine off campus upon return.
1-B: Travel Restrictions/International
As a reminder, all University-affiliated travel to Level 3 countries as defined by the U.S. Department of State and U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention due to COVID-19 is prohibited. This currently includes China, South Korea, Iran and Italy.
In addition, the University is also restricting travel to Level 2 countries as defined by the CDC, which currently includes Japan.
Per recently revised CDC guidelines, any students, faculty or staff returning from Level 3 and 2 countries will be asked to self-quarantine for 14 days off campus effective immediately. These advisories are subject to change so please be mindful of all upcoming domestic and international travel. If you travel to a location that is increased to a Level 3 while you are there, you will be subject to a 14-day self-quarantine off campus.
2. Returning to Campus
Any students, faculty or staff who have arrived or will be returning from Level 3 and 2 countries should immediately contact Campus Health or their local health care provider and follow their instructions for evaluation. Students should reach out to the Dean of Students office for assistance with coursework and other matters.
Employees in a 14-day self-quarantine protocol should work with their supervisor to determine remote working options, and supervisors are encouraged to be flexible with remote working arrangements and use of sick leave.
We have established a hotline for those who have questions about these guidelines. This information portal will be open as of 10 a.m. on March 5. Please call 919-445-5000.
Central Washington University (that’s WA, not DC) has canceled all academic travel for March. In two weeks they will reassess the situation and announce practices for April. Faculty who have urgent travel plans will be assessed and approved on a case-by-case basis. All university-related international travel through Spring quarter is cancelled (including education abroad). The university is also requesting all students, faculty, and staff who are currently studying or working abroad to return to the US.
I’ve now learned that the university’s initial memo on this was in error: it’s only international academic travel that is cancelled for March.
Rutgers:
In keeping with guidance by the CDC, on March 2, 2020, we made the decision to cancel Rutgers-sponsored study abroad semester programs, international spring break programs, and Rutgers faculty-sponsored study abroad programs. We also recommend that Rutgers faculty and staff curtail Rutgers-sponsored international travel, particularly to those areas identified by the CDC as areas in which COVID-19 has been identified.
Harvard University: “All University-related non-essential domestic air travel is prohibited until at least April 30.”
https://www.harvard.edu/coronavirus/travel-guidance
Stanford has announced that for the last two weeks of the quarter (starting Monday), classes are being moved to an online format where possible. All final exams must now be take-home. Staff are being encouraged to telecommute. Admit weekend (April 23-26) has been cancelled and they are working on creating a “virtual experience” for new admits.
Laura, any idea about the status of the prospective graduate student visit scheduled for the beginning of April?
Macquarie University (Sydney) has banned all international travel (https://www.mq.edu.au/about/coronavirus-faqs) on the 5th. Due to being near the centre of the potential outbreak in Sydney (https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-03-06/coronavirus-cases-increase-in-nsw-as-authorities-trace-virus/12031678) there are claims about an increased cleaning frequency. I expect things will be significantly worse next week. Happily, they’re not rationing toilet paper yet, despite absurd panic buying in Sydney.
I’m curious what universities are doing for travel reimbursements for faculty who’ve already paid for flights, hotel for conferences or other similar travel where either the travel is now forbidden (e.g., for a conference in Toronto) or the conference is cancelled?
(I realize there are bigger issues than faculty reimbursement, but I am curious about this.)
Georgia State University has cancelled all study abroad trips over spring break (the week of March 16 – 20). May/Summer trips have not been cancelled at this point. Faculty have also been asked to begin preparations to move our classes online in case it becomes necessary to close the university.
Georgetown:
“On Saturday, March 7, 2020, the university suspended ALL university-sponsored or related non-essential international travel through May 15, 2020. This guidance extended the student international travel moratorium issued on Wednesday, March 4 to now include all faculty and staff.”
Columbia University: “President Bollinger informed our University community, out of an abundance of caution, classes will be suspended for Monday, March 9 and Tuesday, March 10 to allow our students, faculty and staff to prepare for virtual instruction from Wednesday, March 11 to Friday, March 13. We will continue to update you on instructions for classes after Spring Break. Instructions for Columbia Mailman students on how to access virtual instruction are to follow.
At this time, all other non-classroom School and University operations and activities, including research, will continue, in accordance with the new travel and events restrictions announced recently. Columbia Mailman faculty and staff should report to work and stay in contact with their supervisor.”
Rice University:
Classes: Out of an abundance of caution and to allow faculty and staff time to prepare for possible remote instruction this semester, in-person classroom instruction and undergrad teaching labs for the week of March 9 are canceled. During the week of March 9-13, faculty can provide material that can be completed remotely and does not require group interaction.
Like some of our peers, Rice is preparing for the possibility of delivering the majority of its classes remotely if that should prove necessary. The Crisis Management Team in collaboration with the Faculty Senate has formed a working group. We already have several tools that faculty and students regularly use that enable online instruction such as Zoom and Canvas. The working group is in the process of identifying additional resources that may be needed in the short term. To help with this process, we ask all instructors teaching this semester to please complete a needs assessment survey forthcoming in the next few days.
Research: Research will continue, as it is generally limited to small groups. Postdoctoral, graduate, and undergraduate researchers should consult with their advisors about how to best pursue their scholarship during this period. Precautionary health and hygiene measures must be followed.
Events: Through April 30, we are prohibiting all on-campus public events, gatherings and parties with more than 100 people to minimize close contact among large groups of people as recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This includes canceling the president’s town hall and Beer Bike events. All attendees at events with 100 people or less must be provided with information about practicing proper handwashing as suggested by the CDC (for example, regularly washing hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, covering coughs and staying home if sick).
Outdoor varsity, intramural and club athletic events may continue as scheduled.
Campus operations: Other aspects of the campus will continue in operation…
International travel: Rice has banned all university-sponsored international travel for faculty, staff, postdocs and students through April 30.
Yale:
To prevent transmission of the virus, we are asking students, faculty, and staff to postpone, cancel, or adjust all Yale-hosted events, other than classes, that will have 100 or more participants. Adjustments to events could include using technology to allow remote participation and increasing the venue size to allow participants to maintain distance from one another. This recommendation applies to events taking place between March 9, 2020, and April 15, 2020…
Even if an event has fewer than 100 people, please think about the size of the venue and accommodations. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that the virus can spread between people who are within six feet of one another. Consider if the venue allows people adequate space to spread out and if participants have opportunities to wash their hands regularly. Adjust meeting formats as needed.
MIT:
Effective immediately – and in step with new advice from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health – we are suspending all international travel on MIT business or with MIT programs, for all faculty, students, postdocs and staff. This includes any travel associated with one’s scholarly activities as an MIT employee, even travel funded by a government grant, foundation, company or other university.
Qatar has closed all universities and schools, effective tomorrow, “until further notice.” I believe this order applies to Qatar campuses of foreign universities, which include:
University of Aberdeen
Northumbria University
Academic Bridge Programme
Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar
Georgetown University School of Foreign Service in Qatar
HEC Paris
Northwestern University in Qatar
Stenden University Qatar
Syscoms Institute
Texas A&M University at Qatar
Virginia Commonwealth University in Qatar
Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar
City College Qatar
German University Qatar
University College London Qatar (UCL Qatar)
Princeton:
“In order to help mitigate the growing risk of transmission, we will begin instituting a series of policies and practices this week based on the concept of social distancing. Our goal is to decrease the number of instances that require community members to gather in large groups or spend extended periods of time in close proximity with each other. To achieve this goal, we will virtualize any activities, such as lectures, seminars, and precepts, that can be put online. We will continue to support, where possible and subject to appropriate restrictions, research, educational, and campus life activities that require physical presence. “
Princeton updated the policy in letter from the president:
“This will include a mandatory, temporary move for all lectures, seminars, and precepts to virtual instruction starting on Monday, March 23. We encourage students to consider staying home after Spring Break. If students choose to remain home after Spring Break, we will make sure that they are able to meet their academic requirements remotely.”
Source: https://emergency.princeton.edu/what-to-do/public-health-alerts/2019-novel-coronavirus
University of Southern California:
Classes Temporarily Move Online Effective March 11-13
“will test our online lectures and seminars starting Wednesday, March 11 through Friday, March 13. The online modality will replace in-person classes for those three days. Please work with your instructors if special technical accommodations may be needed. I emphasize that this is a test of our capabilities. The university is fully functional. Student residential colleges, dining halls, offices, libraries, health centers, and recreation and athletics facilities are open. Campus events are scheduled to take place as planned. Employees are expected to be at work.
Should students’ academic schedules only include lectures and seminars, students need not remain on campus as these will be held online. All faculty are being required to switch to a Blackboard or Zoom platform (or another school-specific online learning system) so classes and office hours can continue online.”
My University (Bern in Switzerland) has banned all classes wth more than 250 participants and tasked lecturers with finding digital solutions, such as podcasts. Philosophy, to the best of my knowledge, is not impacted, as classes are typically much smaller. Furthermore, all “Excursions and trips abroad that are not absolutely necessary should be refrained from for the time being.”
other unis here are less strict. Uni Zurich had two departments with many self-quarantined people and/or tested cases. Those departments are closed for a few weeks. Otherwise, they cancelled all non-curriculum public events.
Interestingly, ETH Zurich has chartered additional buses during peak hours so as to make sure everyone has a bit more space commuting to campus.
UC Berkeley:
“Beginning Tuesday, March 10, we will be suspending most in-person classes and will be offering ALL lecture courses (including discussion sections), seminar instruction and examination through alternative modalities (e.g., Zoom, course capture, etc.) through Spring Break.”
“All campus-sponsored events with plans for more than 150 attendees will be canceled or postponed.”
“These changes are effective starting Tuesday, March 10, and will remain in place through Spring Break, which ends March 29. A decision on what will happen on March 30 and beyond will occur at a later date, based on the latest coronavirus information at that time.”
https://news.berkeley.edu/2020/03/09/as-coronavirus-spreads-uc-berkeley-suspends-in-person-instruction/
Here are the details for the University of Cambridge:
https://www.cam.ac.uk/notices/news/coronavirus-latest-guidance
This is a question: I assume universities and departments that have moved their teaching online have also cancelled or made other arrangements for visiting speakers series? Is that the case? What is being done about visiting speakers?
The College of New Jersey will be holding classes online beginning 3/23 (after we return from Spring Break, which is next week) and running for the following two weeks (so, through the first week of April).
Details: https://emergency.tcnj.edu/covid-19/
Uchicago’s response here: https://coronavirusupdates.uchicago.edu/
Today:
The University is suspending all faculty-led Study Abroad programs for Spring Quarter 2020.
The University is suspending all nonessential international and domestic University travel, effective immediately through April 15.
We are suspending University-sponsored events and gatherings of more than 100 people effective immediately through April 15.
We are asking schools, divisions, and departments to consider postponing on-campus visits at this time.
If members of the University community must travel over the spring break period, we advise travelers to bring along any items that you may need if your return to campus is delayed.
Campus visiting days for prospective students are being canceled.
As of yet, no plans to move to online teaching, however.
Ohio State: Classes moving online starting Monday (following spring break) through at least March 30. Travel restrictions through April 20. (No university-sponsored international travel; university-sponsored domestic air travel restricted to “business essential”.) https://news.osu.edu/coronavirus-prompts-travel-restrictions-at-ohio-state/
University of Pennsylvania: Prospective graduate student visits will be virtual rather than in-person; Penn is prohibiting all future University-related travel, both domestic and international, at least until April 17, curtailing large University events, at least until April 17, preparing to move classes online in order to prepare for all possible scenarios, and so forth.
UMN:
Travel: “All non-essential, University-funded travel, both domestic and international, for faculty and staff has been canceled from March 16 – April 30, 2020.” – https://safe-campus.umn.edu/public-health-alerts
Classes: Cancellation not yet mandated, but foreshadowed. (We’re on break this week.)
“While the Duluth, Rochester and Twin Cities campuses are on Spring Break this week, and in anticipation of the Crookston and Morris campus breaks next week, we encourage our faculty to begin preparing to move classroom instruction online, especially for courses where this can be implemented immediately.”
Today, Bowling Green moved all classes online for the two weeks following next week’s spring break.
MIT:
All classes are cancelled for the week of Monday, March 16 through Friday, March 20. Because the following week is spring break, this will allow faculty and instructors two weeks to organize a full transition to online instruction.
Online instruction, which some units are already experimenting with this week, will begin for all classes on Monday, March 30, and continue for the remainder of the semester.
Undergraduates should not return to campus after spring break. Undergraduates who live in an MIT residence or fraternity, sorority or independent living group (FSILG) must begin packing and departing this Saturday, March 14. We are requiring undergraduates to depart from campus residences no later than noon on Tuesday, March 17. Please see below for detail on graduate students.
Classes will continue this week as we continue to prepare for this transition.
http://news.mit.edu/2020/letter-regarding-escalating-response-covid-19-0310?
Colorado College will extend spring break by a week and then transition to distance-learning (to allow more time for an analysis of the situation) through mid-April. Assessments will be made in the coming weeks about April-May and Commencement. All students have been asked to leave by 18 March and take belongings. https://www.coloradocollege.edu/other/coronavirus/
The University of Cincinnati’s spring break is next week; after that, all classes go online until April 13. All international travel suspended until the end of May; only “business essential travel” permitted domestically. No events with more than 150 people.
Statement from the State University System of Florida: https://www.flbog.edu/2020/03/11/state-university-system-statement-on-covid-19/
SUS is directing all the state universities to implement remote instruction as soon as possible. For universities with students with students on or going on spring break, state universities should direct their students to NOT return to campus for at least 2 weeks following the conclusion of spring break. While students are encouraged to remain off-campus, each university should develop a plan for providing residential accommodations for students who need assistance or must remain in place.
Per Governor Cuomo’s order, all of SUNY and CUNY moving to a distance-learning model for the remainder of the Spring semester:
https://twitter.com/NYGovCuomo/status/1237803530787991553
Loyola University Chicago:
• Effective Friday, March 13, and continuing through the end of semester, all in-person, face-to-face classes will be suspended.
• Current online classes will continue. We will move the classes to online/virtual instruction as soon as possible but no later than Monday, March 23. Additional communication will come from the faculty directly to their students.
• Final exams will be handled remotely according to the regularly scheduled exam period.
• All residential students are expected to leave campus as soon as possible and go home for the semester. Residence halls will close by the end of the day on Thursday, March 19, in order to give students and families time to make necessary travel arrangements.
• The University will repatriate all remaining study-abroad students to their homes, but all international summer programs are suspended.
• The University remains open to ensure academic and research continuity in support of our students’ progress towards the completion of the term.
• Faculty and Staff are to practice the appropriate social-distancing measures and the updated health and safety guidelines from public health officials, including telecommuting.
• In line with the effort to practice social distancing, all non-essential face-to-face meetings or events are discouraged. All University-sponsored events with participation greater than 70 people are prohibited on our campuses.
• Non-essential University sponsored travel, both international and domestic, is prohibited through May 1.
Birkbeck, University of London: ‘no face to face classes at Birkbeck from Monday 16th of March. We will review this prior to the start of the new term on Monday 27th of April. Examinations planned for 23rd March to 3rd of April will not take place and alternative assessments will be provided.