A message from Rev. Patrick T. Ferry, Ph.D, president of Concordia University Wisconsin and Ann Arbor, to all CUAA employees on March 23, 2020 at 6:00 p.m.
March 23, 2020
Dear Concordians,
Earlier today, Governor Gretchen Whitmer issued an executive shelter-in-place order for all Michigan residents. The order takes effect at 12:01 a.m., March 24, 2020. It expires at 11:59 p.m., April 13, 2020. Read the full text of the order online.
Concordia University Ann Arbor will comply with the Governor’s order. The university is assessing employee job functions based on the guidance within the order and will designate employees whose responsibilities are necessary to basic operations. Please note that we do understand basic operations as including support for remote learning. Human Resources will notify those (very, very few) employees.
If you are not designated for this exemption, it is important that you plan not to be on campus for the duration of this order. This means that faculty members generally must teach from home. If you need to retrieve items from your office, be mindful of the shelter order’s 12:01 a.m. start time.
At all times, those who are on campus will follow social distancing guidelines, maintain a minimum of at least six feet from one another, and will not come to work if they display respiratory symptoms or have had contact with a person who is known or suspected to have COVID-19.
Friends, while the letter of the executive order is strongly worded, its spirit is abundant with care. These extraordinary measures are necessary for the good health of all. We accept them with grace and continue to pray God’s healing hand rests upon our community—both on campus and within Ann Arbor; across our state and throughout our nation and world.
We understand that all of you are grappling with the impact of this pandemic on your families, work, health, and financial situations. Thank you for your patience in such difficult circumstances. Continue to stay connected to your fellow Concordians as we work in new ways and across new mediums. Join us daily as a community for Home Chapel (10:30 a.m. EST). Be a part of Pastor Duncan’s Zooming through the Psalms Bible study each Wednesday. Reach out if you have need. Reach out to check on the needs of others.
We Are Concordia; hearts together. Stay healthy and safe and we will see you back on campus when it is safe to gather.
In Christ’s Service and Yours,
Pat Ferry
President
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