Archive April 2020

UPDATE Friday, April 24 Looking forward with COVID-19 (Message to Students)

Braves:

You’ve made it through your last full week of classes! Only four more class days next week before exam week begins. I posted a short video message that can be found here. But, there’s a little more I would like to share with you.

I know the past month hasn’t all been easy, and it certainly wasn’t what any of us had planned. Though this semester may not have been ideal, as it comes to a close, I find myself feeling entirely more positive than I expected. Seeing your strength and resiliency to respond to change has not only made me proud but eager to see what you’ll achieve in life with the character you’ve shown through this challenging time.

While we wish we undoubtedly knew what the next several months would hold, the truth is, none of us can know. Let me assure you that we fully expect, and it is our present intention to be back in our classrooms, labs and on-campus spaces this fall and welcome you back to your college home. An important part of the uniquely UNCP experience is being on our vibrant campus, engaging with faculty and peers in the classroom, and having access to the many services and programs that enrich your education in a meaningful way. The magic that occurs when you come together in a quality learning environment is what makes this university exceptional.

But we’re not naïve to the fact that COVID-19 may continue to cause some alterations to the ways we are accustomed to learning and operating. Our goal is to be prepared for all scenarios and able to make the best decisions and preparations for everyone to have ample time to make adjustments should any additional changes be necessary. Eventually, things will return to normal, but until then, keep communicating and let us know what you need so we can help.

We will make all plans in consultation with the UNC System and leadership from all other UNC campuses. It is important to remember that this is a very fluid and unprecedented situation. There is no roadmap or rule book, and we are making decisions for campus operations based on the best data available at the time. Our priority has been and will remain to keep you, your families, and our faculty and staff safe and healthy. We are doing everything possible to provide the true UNC Pembroke experience to each of you until we can return to routine and normalcy.

Let’s finish the semester strong. Stay positive, stay focused, start preparing for exams, and keep working toward your goals and dreams. I look forward to seeing you back on campus in the fall, and seniors I can’t wait to shake your hand as you cross the stage in August.

Stay well and GO BRAVES!

Sincerely,

Robin Gary Cummings, MD

Chancellor

UPDATE Thursday, April 23 Looking forward with COVID-19 (Message to Faculty & Staff)

Faculty and Staff:

I hope you are all staying safe and healthy. As we draw to a close a quite unusual and unanticipated spring semester, I want to thank each of you again for your tremendous efforts to shift and keep our university moving forward while significantly helping to slow the spread of COVID-19. 

While we continue to limit faculty, staff, and students on campus, we have begun looking toward what lies ahead beyond the summer plans we’ve already announced. In constant communication with the UNC System, in the last week, we have focused our attention on what the coming Fall semester will look like, and if we will be able to welcome our students back for an on-campus semester.  

Today, Governor Cooper extended the state’s stay-at-home order through May 8. He also laid out a phased plan that will begin slowly and intentionally reopening our state once specific benchmarks have been achieved. While we are mindful that, as Secretary Cohen indicated, North Carolina needs to continue seeing a sustained leveling or decreased trajectory of COVID-19 to begin the phased plan, we are hopeful these plans are a big step in the right direction to bring us back to normal operations.

Let me assure you that we fully expect and it is our present intention to be back in our classrooms, labs, and offices this fall and welcome our new and returning Braves back to their college home. An important part of the uniquely UNCP experience is being on our vibrant campus, engaging with faculty and peers in the classroom, and having access to the many services and programs that enrich education in a meaningful way. The magic that occurs when people come together in a quality learning environment is what makes this university exceptional.

That said, we’re not naïve to the fact that COVID-19 may continue to cause some alterations to the ways we are accustomed to instructing and operating. But we remain committed to developing solutions that enable us to offer the best learning opportunities for our students while keeping our campus community safe and healthy. We also recognize conditions may change throughout our state over the summer, and we will be prepared to appropriately respond, if necessary.

Over the next several months, our top priority will be to make well-informed decisions based on reliable data in consultation with the UNC System. My cabinet and many campus leaders are already looking at a variety of contingency plans, mitigation strategies, and opportunities to allow for maximum flexibility and responsiveness. All decisions will always have in common the best interests and safety of you, our students, and this community.

Throughout this experience, once again we have demonstrated how resilient and agile UNCP can be in the face of adversity. I continue to hear stories daily of innovation and service and of your commitment to meeting our students where they are to get them where they want to be. What has defined us in these times is our ability to remain positive in spite of all that is going on around us—because we know there are 7,700 students whose future success depends on our ability to deliver a high-quality education.

Thank you for keeping our students at the forefront. I deeply appreciate all that you continue to do, and all that you will do, as we bring this eventful semester to a close. I am looking forward to seeing you all on campus this fall!

Sincerely,

Robin Gary Cummings, MD

Chancellor

UPDATE April 17 Message from Chancellor to faculty and staff

Faculty and Staff:

I would again like to thank you for your incredible response to the many challenges of COVID-19. We are now approaching our first full month navigating through the unchartered waters of this situation.

During that month, there has been a great deal of change for us all. Please know every cancellation and adjustment being made is to keep our students and each of you and your families safe and healthy.

We have been fortunate that to date, no students, faculty or staff have reported being diagnosed with COVID-19. I would like to thank Student Health Services for their early response and continued screening to keep us all safe. While many areas nationwide are beginning to show signs of stabilization, the number of cases in Robeson County identified in the last week have risen, although still very low in number. Should a member of our campus be diagnosed, the university will issue an emergency Clery notification to inform you.

As you know, based on UNC System guidance and the latest information available regarding social distancing, all summer 2020 courses (May-August) have been moved online. This also means all summer programming scheduled on campus through June is cancelled, including summer camps and new student orientation.

We know part of what makes our university unique is the campus experience, and we refuse to make our newest Braves wait until fall for their first UNCP experience. Our orientation staff and students are working to offer a new virtual student orientation for incoming freshmen and transfer students. We also plan to invite our newcomers to campus early for a special part two of their orientation in-person.

While we wish we undoubtedly knew what the next several months would hold, the truth is, none of us can know. Our goal is to be prepared for all scenarios and able to make the best decisions and preparations for everyone to have ample time to make adjustments should any additional changes be necessary.

We will make all plans in consultation with the UNC System and leadership from all other UNC campuses. It is important to remember that this is a very fluid and unprecedented situation. There is no roadmap or rule book, and we are making decisions for campus operations based on the best data available at the time.

We are doing everything we can to provide an engaging and uncompromisingly, exceptional experience to our students and keep our campus operating for the future ahead. At the same time, it’s equally important we provide the best work environment possible for faculty and staff. I know many of you have questions about what lies ahead, please know, valuable information will be shared with you when made available.

Thank you for your commitment to UNC Pembroke and our students. I look forward to returning to routine and normalcy, but until then, I genuinely appreciate the innovative and thoughtful ways you’re continuing to educate and assist our students. 

Stay well and GO BRAVES!

Sincerely,

Robin Gary Cummings, MD

Chancellor

UPDATE Friday, April 3 Regarding student refunds

Students:

Earlier this week UNC System Interim President Bill Roper announced that the System was committed to prorated refunds of payments for unused housing and dining services as a result of the rapid response to COVID-19. Since adjusting the university’s operations to a more virtual environment, the UNC System recognizes that students may have faced many difficulties.

UNC Pembroke is working with the UNC System to provide these refunds as soon as possible. I am pleased to inform you that refund payment processes have already begun and are expected to take no longer than 3-4 weeks, so all reimbursements are disbursed no later than the end of April.

All refunds will be processed through student accounts to address any outstanding balances with the remaining balances issued as refunds. Refund calculations will begin on the first day after the day that students were directed to leave their residence halls, in our case on March 23, 2020, or the day in which the student departed for their permanent residence if this occurred after an exception was granted. Graduate students will also be included in the refund process. 

Students and families can help us expedite the process by making sure your direct deposit information is updated and accurate in our system. Please take a moment to ensure your bank account information is correctly entered in the Online Account Center in BraveWeb for eRefunds.

We appreciate your patience as we work through this process. We are committed to issuing all refunds as expeditiously as possible. Please let us know if you have any questions using askUNCP@uncp.edu. Questions about specific student accounts should still be directed to Student Accounts at student.accounts@uncp.edu.

Sincerely,

Virginia Teachey

Vice Chancellor for Finance & Administration

UPDATE April 2 Cases NOT suspected or confirmed at UNCP

To date, there are no reported confirmed, presumptive positive or suspected cases of COVID-19 among UNCP employees or students either on- or off-campus.

We would like to assure our campus community that any confirmed cases among either employees or students will be communicated through the timely warning notification protocol in compliance with the Clery Act and university emergency communication procedure.

Over the last month, the university has been proactive in taking measures to ensure social distancing and preventative care for the health and safety of our campus community. We remain committed to keeping you informed and safe throughout the situation.

Please continue to monitor uncp.edu/ncov for the most up to date information.

UPDATE April 1 Regarding summer session instruction

BraveNation:

As we continue to adjust our academic approach to support the public health mandates for social distancing and the challenges created by COVID-19, UNC Pembroke and the UNC System have determined that all campuses will deliver Summer 2020 classes online only. 

This means we will continue our online and alternative course delivery methods through the remainder of this semester and for all summer sessions.

Deans have already begun working with department chairs and faculty to determine which classes will be offered this summer. We are working to ensure, to the greatest extent possible, students will have access to classes they need to stay on track for their planned graduation dates.

While these circumstances are extraordinary, our faculty and staff remain committed to delivering a rigorous, meaningful academic experience for our Summer 2020 students. 

More information regarding summer courses and registration will be available at uncp.edu/summerschool. You can also send specific questions to askUNCP@uncp.edu.

Sincerely,

David Ward

David M. Ward, Ph.D

Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs