Dear Millsaps College Faculty and Staff:

After continuing to monitor the COVID-19 pandemic over the weekend, and in light of Gov. Tate Reeves declaration of a state of emergency as well as his request that Mississippi schools close for at least a week, the college is sharing operating guidelines that will impact business this week; specifically March 16 through March 20, 2020.

  1. Faculty are asked to work remotely as much as possible as they work toward formalizing remote teaching capabilities. Faculty are encouraged to attend the Course Connect training sessions on Monday and Tuesday; those sessions will still be held in the Library as scheduled. Other training sessions will be offered in a mix of in-person, small-group gatherings and remote sessions. More details to follow. Other than the training sessions, faculty are asked to come to campus only as absolutely necessary to collect items specific to instruction, and to practice social distancing strategies in their personal lives to limit exposure to large groups and crowds.
  2. Only essential staff are asked to come to campus during their regular work hours. Essential staff will receive direct communication from their supervisor with additional details.
  3. All other staff are asked to work remotely beginning immediately. Staff will receive direct communication from their supervisors with additional details regarding the maintenance of operations as they work remotely. Staff needing to collect items from their office to enable remote working are asked to be brief and judicious with time spent on campus. Staff are also asked to practice social distancing strategies in their personal lives to limit exposure to large groups and crowds.
  4. As a reminder, students are on an extended spring break this week. Remote instruction will begin for all students Monday, March 23, 2020 until at least April 3, 2020.

These operational guidelines impact this week, March 16 through March 20, 2020. The college will update the community no later than Thursday, March 19 with operational guidelines for the following week. The college will continue to send updates that are of importance to the community on an as-needed basis.

These are unprecedented times. Thank you for your understanding as we work together to keep our community safe.

Stay well,

Rob Pearigen
President

Questions? Email info@millsaps.edu