Our Plan for Fall 2020

Dear Members of the Syracuse University Community:

Since our founding 150 years ago, Syracuse University has withstood the challenges of our time. Through it all, it’s been our people—students, faculty, staff and alumni—who have enabled our ability to navigate challenging times and emerge stronger for the experience. As we navigate the immediate challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, our daily decisions, actions and assumptions are based in cautious optimism that Syracuse University will resume residential instruction in fall 2020. As always, we will follow the guidance and direction of local and state health officials, as well as the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in all of our decisions.

It’s true that a return to campus in the fall will likely require us to embrace new practices and set new conditions related to places and spaces where we learn, study, conduct research and work. However, I am confident that the ingenuity, creativity and resilience that define our Orange community will position us to overcome these challenges in a way consistent with our longstanding commitment to academic excellence. To that end, I have asked administrators, faculty and staff to develop plans for multiple fall opening scenarios. Central to each of those scenarios will be to prioritize the safety and well-being of our students, faculty, staff and our community. It remains my hope and intention that we will be welcoming students back to campus this fall.

At the same time, we must honestly and collectively acknowledge the unprecedented financial stress imposed on our university. Over the past five years, we have worked hard to strengthen the financial position of the institution, in doing so preparing the University to weather an unforeseen crisis such as the one we face today. The uncertainty ahead combined with the financial toll that the COVID-19 pandemic has already levied on our university requires us to take bold actions. We will make these choices with care and intent to protect our community and secure our future as a world-class and student-focused research institution.

The COVID-19 pandemic has tested us in unforeseen and difficult ways. We have been pulled away from our campus and forced to learn and work differently, and many of us have felt the impact of this pandemic on a personal level. I know this uncertain time hasn’t been easy, and I am incredibly proud of how our university has responded. I am reminded every day through your actions of what it truly means to be Orange.

Sincerely,

Chancellor Kent Syverud