Dear colleagues,
Welcome to a new year and a new semester. I hope this finds you and yours healthy and well.
As you know, the pandemic continues to evolve worldwide. Omicron is more highly transmissible than any other Covid-19 variant to date and case rates continue to rise. Getting vaccinated and boosted and always wearing masks in public indoor spaces are the most effective ways to protect yourself and those around you.
As President Feinstein announced yesterday, UNC has implemented a booster requirement for all students, faculty, and staff. All employees must fill out a new vaccine affidavit byFebruary 7, 2022. Conveniently, for those seeking a booster, the state’s Covid-19 mobile vaccination bus will be on campus (south of Campus Commons) January 7-10, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. For up-to-date information about Covid-19 at UNC, including reporting protocols, please see the coronavirus site.
In anticipation of pandemic-related disruptions this spring, faculty should be prepared to adapt--as has occurred over the past few semesters--by providing Zoom recordings of essential course content, posting lecture slides, accepting assignments electronically, and communicating with students both in person and via Canvas. Fortunately, we have navigated these challenges before, and we are well equipped to do so again.
Using the Instructional Design and Development Canvas classroom template is one of the best ways to help students stay engaged and informed and will enable faculty to temporarily shift to remote instruction if needed. To locate the template, go to Canvas Commons within Canvas and search #UNCO_LE@RN. For assistance, please contact instructional.design@unco.edu.
Thank you for the thought and care you bring every single day to our students. The resilience of the UNC community is truly impressive.
In gratitude,
Lisa
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Lisa Vollendorf, Ph.D.
Interim Provost
University of Northern Colorado
