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| Students, Faculty and Staff,
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| The global COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic is moving our way of life into unchartered waters. St. Louis Community College is no different – as we diligently follow the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) guidelines, I want to assure you that your health and safety come first. We cannot function properly without you — our students, faculty and staff. |
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| Many difficult decisions are being made with careful thought, input and consideration. Please know that all of these decisions are centered around preserving the health and safety of our College community. My heartfelt thanks go to all who are working through this uncertain and difficult time. Not only do I view these issues through the lens as chancellor, but also as a husband, father and neighbor. |
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| I would like to share with you five major decisions made today, March 18: |
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| Commencement 2020 is postponed. I understand how disappointing this is to our students, their families, faculty and staff, but we are following CDC and World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines on gatherings of more than 10. Celebrating our graduating students is the highlight of the academic year; we will keep you posted on a new date. |
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| Essential on-site employees - With safety and health as a priority, the College’s Leadership Team is quickly working to identify essential on-site employees, meaning those employees designated to work on-site to continue to serve our College community. Your supervisor will notify you soon if you’ve been identified as an essential on-site employee.
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| Remote work - For employees not identified as essential on-site employees, the College is developing processes for employees to temporarily work from home to both maintain College operations while trying to reduce the number of employees required to be physically present at work. This situation is incredibly fluid and the College will continue to evaluate and update faculty and staff as more information is available. Guidelines for employees who have been approved to work from home will be available on the website March 23. |
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| Employee Leave - The College is considering additional options for employee leave as events unfold. As any changes would likely need Board approval, we will provide updates as appropriate. |
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| Remote Instruction - The College has made the decision to move course instruction online effective March 30. More details will be shared with students in the coming days. For courses with lab or studio components that cannot be delivered online, we are looking at solutions to meet the outcomes for these important experiences. The lab and/or studio portions that cannot be delivered online will be temporarily paused while we consider options. Students, please continue to check your email and the College webpage for updates.
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| I encourage all of you to stay connected to the College by monitoring our website, COVID-19 coronavirus information page, STLCC email, and the STLCC Facebook and Twitter.
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| Learning and working through a time such as this is challenging; this is a new experience for all of us. Again, I want to thank all of you for your hard work, support and guidance. I am confident that we can come through this situation as a stronger community and institution.
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Jeff L. Pittman, Ph.D.
Chancellor |
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