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UPDATE: MARCH 22ND, 2020
MESSAGE FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH
Late last night, we learned of a confirmed case of coronavirus disease, COVID-19, in one of our Pittsburgh campus residence halls. We have also been made aware of other potential cases within the University of Pittsburgh community, and expect that we will continue to see an increase in the number of people impacted as COVID-19 spreads throughout our communities.
In regard to this confirmed case, we are following existing protocols and working with local health officials to support the affected student and help reduce the spread of infection to others.
These efforts include:
Retracing the affected individual’s movements.
Reaching out to people who have had close contact with the individual; these contacts have all been made at this time.
Cleaning and disinfecting areas where this individual resided and any other areas this individual visited for a prolonged period.
In addition, as part of our ongoing efforts to reduce the spread of virus, early last week we began the process of moving all students who remain on campus to residences where they will be in private rooms with individual bathrooms.
Support for Patients, Families and Friends
Any student who remains on a Pitt campus and begins to experience symptoms should immediately call Student Health Service at 412-381-1800.
Any Pitt employee who exhibits COVID-19 symptoms should immediately self-isolate and call their physician, their supervisor and the University’s employee health service, MyHealth@Work, at 412-647-4949. The MyHealth@Work walk-in clinic on our Pittsburgh campus remains open for faculty and staff who must be on-site to perform their job duties. Please call prior to visiting any clinic or health care facility.
Remote counseling services are available to any Pitt community member in need. Interested faculty and staff should contact Life Solutions (1-866-647-3432); students should contact our University Counseling Center.
We also offer detailed Guidelines for Responding to Symptomatic Individuals.
Limiting the Spread of the Virus
To help limit the spread of the virus, we are encouraging every Pitt community member to practice social distancing, self-isolate as appropriate, and cooperate with current public health guidance and officials.
To do our part in preventing the spread of infection locally, the University is conducting all classes through online or alternative learning platforms. We have also halted all nonessential research and University travel, moved most employees to a remote work status, canceled all University events and closed most facilities on our campus grounds.
In addition, we continue to work closely with the Allegheny County Health Department and its counterparts at our regional campuses to review potential cases and identify individuals who may have had close contact with a confirmed case.
Moving forward, for any additional cases we will continue to work closely with health officials, communicate directly with any close contacts and follow the appropriate processes. We are also asking all faculty, students and staff to continue visiting our emergency management website, which remains a one-stop-source for new guidance and information related to the University’s pandemic response.
UPDATE: 11 MARCH 2020
COVID-19 Pandemic: Pitt's Actions
Dear Members of the University Community:
I am writing to you today to share the latest decisions that the University of Pittsburgh is making in response to the global COVID-19 pandemic. To start, I want to emphasize a few obvious points that are nonetheless important: This is an unprecedented scenario for U.S. universities. It is a situation that is changing dramatically—and daily. Compounding this scenario are substantial unknowns about the virus, its spread and its potential to impact everyone. This high degree of uncertainty makes planning difficult.
Our guiding principles in navigating this challenge have been to take all the necessary steps to minimize risk to our university community while seeking to continue our primary mission of educating, performing vital research and serving the local community.
The pandemic has already forced us to take a number of proactive steps. These include recalling students, faculty and staff from hard hit parts of the world; canceling study abroad programs; canceling or postponing certain events; expanding public health communication; and enhancing cleaning efforts to minimize potential exposure.
A university campus is an intensely social environment that, by design, supports close interactions and large group gatherings. While there are no confirmed cases on or near a Pitt campus at this time, the number of confirmed infections is growing in multiple states across the country. This reality—coupled with the fact that most of our undergraduate students are traveling during spring break—significantly heightens our risk of resuming normal academic activities. As a result, we must act to stave off the even greater risks associated with bringing everyone back together on our campuses.
The steps that we are now taking include:
Replacing in-person instruction with online and alternative learning options at all five Pitt campuses.
Requesting that students not return to University housing, if they have this option.
Canceling all study abroad and study away programming for the spring and summer terms.
Restricting all nonessential domestic and international university travel until further notice.
Canceling or postponing all events that exceed 25 participants or that are considered nonessential. When possible, we will seek to replace in-person events with virtual engagements.
Expanding work flexibility to allow remote work arrangements, when needed.
To prepare for this transition and give our faculty time to contact students directly, we are postponing the start of classes to Monday, March 23, 2020.
These changes, which will be effective through the end of the current semester, mean that distance learning strategies will replace all face-to-face classes in satisfying the academic requirements toward a student’s degree. As a result, there is no immediate need for most undergraduate students to return to campus after spring break concludes.
These changes also apply to graduate and professional students. However, because practicum and research-based learning is central to this population’s academic experience, the exact modifications enacted will vary by school, program and student.
In the coming days, all students, faculty and staff can expect to receive more information about this new academic landscape. As a reminder: Information about the University’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic is available on our Public Safety and Emergency Management website, which will continue serving as our one-stop information hub for University-approved updates on this issue.
It’s important to note that this approach does not affect the status of our campus facilities. All campuses will remain open and operational, and all research and essential graduate and postgraduate work will continue. We will also continue to provide student services, including room and board, to students who cannot return home.
I realize that this is an unexpected and dramatic development. However, based on what we currently know—and still don’t know—about the COVID-19 pandemic, I believe that these new steps are necessary to strike a prudent balance between protecting our community and continuing our academic mission.
Given the scale of this pandemic, I also believe that additional steps will be necessary as the situation evolves. Please continue to check Pitt’s website and read all University updates. On our end, we will continue to make every effort to share the latest information and answer your questions as quickly as possible.
Finally, let me end on a note of appreciation and optimism. While this is uncharted territory for Pitt and many other academic institutions, our community has already demonstrated remarkable resiliency and flexibility in the face in this pandemic. I am confident that these strengths will continue to guide us in the days to come—and the challenges and successes that lie ahead.
Thank you, in advance, for your understanding and patience as we navigate these changes together.
Sincerely,
Patrick Gallagher
Chancellor, University of Pittsburgh
Update: 10 March 2020
Dear School of Education Community:
As concerns increase with regards to the COVID-19/coronavirus outbreak and its impact regionally, nationally, and globally, I wanted to provide some resources and information to members of our School of Education community.
My top priority is the health, safety, and wellness of every member of our School, including our alumni who reside in communities most affected by the virus. Our School’s mission-vision affirms our commitment to “strive for well-being for all,” a commitment that I take very seriously. Indeed, my thoughts are with every person affected by this virus.
Everyone at the University of Pittsburgh is closely monitoring the latest developments related to COVID-19. The university’s emergency response unit has created a COVID-19 website with important information on Pitt’s plans and response—including a Frequently Asked Questions section. Additionally, the university has cancelled its spring study abroad programs, instituted social distancing protocols for people returning from affected areas, and installed over 400 hand sanitizer stations in high-traffic areas across campus, including in Posvar Hall.
Our School will continue to follow the guidance given to us from Pitt’s senior administrators and campus and public safety leaders. Although we will proceed with pre-scheduled events and in-person classes, this is certainly subject to change depending on circumstances. Faculty and staff can continue to travel to areas not affected by travel restrictions; however, a recent email from the Office of the Provost encourages “everyone to be able to make the most informed and prudent decisions about travel without concern that they will incur financial losses should they want to decide against travelling.”
A recent communication from the University Center for Teaching and Learning stated that should the university temporarily restrict face-to-face classes, coursework would continue online. Tinukwa Boulder, Associate Professor and Director of Innovative Technology and Online Learning, is planning workshops to help faculty to put their instructional content online. Information about registering for the workshops will be shared in a future communication.
Let me also note that the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) encourages everyone to follow routine steps to prevent the spread of germs, such as hand-washing and other good hygiene practices as well as staying home if sick. For more information, visit the CDC website.
Finally, with the guidance of CSSD, our School will participate in a “remote” pilot test later this week. All School of Education staff members (except those who have already been consulted) will work from home, via email and phone, on Thursday, March 12, 2020 from 8:30am-5pm. This pilot will help our School to determine its capacity to work remotely in case of extended self-quarantines because of COVID-19 and/or other unforeseeable situations. Staff members will receive additional details later today from Dr. Rochelle Woods.
Information will continue to be shared with you as it is received. Let me know if you have any questions.
All my best,
Dean Valerie Kinloch
School of Education, University of Pittsburgh, USA
Update: March 3rd, 2020
Provost Travel Guidance on
Dear Colleagues:
I write with an important update regarding the novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) and steps we are taking to support the health of the Pitt community.
As you may know, the Centers for Disease Control and the U.S. Department of State have increased their travel advisories for China, Iran, Italy, Japan, and South Korea. In light of these developments, the University of Pittsburgh discourages all non-essential travel to Iran, Italy, Japan, and South Korea, and – in accordance with the U.S. Department of State’s Travel Advisories – endorses the current “Do Not Travel” to China directive. We ask that members of the Pitt community who return from China, Iran, Italy, Japan, or South Korea, practice voluntary social distancing for a period of 14 days.
For the safety and well-being of everyone in our community, we strongly advise that anyone traveling internationally register their trips with the University of Pittsburgh International SOS Travel Registry System. We also encourage all Pitt travelers to carefully monitor this situation and follow the advice of the U.S. Department of State, the CDC, and the University of Pittsburgh Office of Public Safety & Emergency Management.
Pitt Global Operations Support is available to provide guidance. If you need assistance, please contact Ian McLaughlin, the Global Operations Support Manager.
As an update, like many other universities, Pitt has temporarily halted spring and spring break study abroad programming in China, Iran, Italy, Japan, and South Korea, due to current travel restrictions. Pitt’s Study Abroad Office remains in contact with students in all study abroad programs, especially those in areas with Level 3 and 4 travel advisories. Jeff Whitehead is the point of contact for study abroad programing.
These are challenging days for the University, and the world at large. Working together, we will continue to make the most informed decisions possible in what is a very dynamic terrain. In the interest of keeping our community informed, I thank you in advance for promptly forwarding this vital information to your faculty and staff.
Best,
Ann E. Cudd
Provost and Senior Vice Chancellor
Message from SOE
Dear SOE Community,
As many of you know, regions of China and other places have been shaken and deeply destabilized by the coronavirus. The University central office sent out an email on Monday of this week listing both how Pitt is paying attention to what this outbreak means for potential and current students and employees.
Our message is a brief but powerful one: connect. For students and employees who are at Pitt currently, they are likely experiencing vicissitudes of emotions. Check in with each other; listen. So often, one of the greatest moves we can make is to ask, “How are you?” and not fly by without intentionally listening and making the space for the answers.
Here are further resources from Pitt for those seeking support and ways to support:
Any student experiencing stress or concern about family members in China can visit our University Counseling Center for support. Faculty and staff members can contact Life Solutions.
As always, feel free to reach out with concerns,
Associate Dean Leigh Patel
Office of the Associate Dean for Equity & Justice
By Jan. 31, 2020
Do Not Travel Advisory in Place
The U.S. Department of State has issued a do not travel advisory for China at this time. This development follows the World Health Organization’s decision to classify the novel coronavirus outbreak first identified in Wuhan, China, as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has also issued a warning for all of China.
Individuals from the University of Pittsburgh who are slated to visit China in the coming weeks should work to cancel these plans. Our Pitt Global Operations team is standing by, ready to offer support as needed.
For assistance, contact:
Ian McLaughlin
Global Operations Support Manager
globalsupport@pitt.edu
globaloperations.pitt.edu/contact
Phone: +1 412-624-0125
By Jan. 31, 2020