We are coming to the end of the United Way and MSU Way campaigns. So far we have raised a little more than $80,000 for United Way. We have great momentum and are only $5,000 behind last year’s total.

If you have not participated yet, please help us get there. I invite you to watch the video below about the United Way’s impact on community health and how nonprofit agencies benefit from our support.

If you have not already done so, I encourage you to complete and submit the campaign contribution forms in the campaign packet you received in the mail. Alternatively, you can complete materials online through the campaign webpage.

At 11:30 a.m. Nov. 13, we will celebrate the end of this year’s campaigns with a virtual event.  We kindly ask that you participate in one or both of the campaigns and register in advance online to attend the virtual celebration. Additional details about the event can be found on the campaign webpage. If you have any questions, please contact Jessica Heinz or Alison Harper.

To recognize their contributions, I will publish the names of current employees who gave to the United Way campaign at the Leadership Level and current employees who are members of the MSU Foundation’s Founders Club in a Clif’s Notes before the end of the year.

Thank you to everybody who has participated in these campaigns at any level.

Staff awards ceremony moved to May

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Staff Service Awards and Appreciation Luncheon normally held in January will be moved to May 20, 2021.

As in past years, our Staff Appreciation Luncheon will honor those who have reached a five-year milestone at the university.

For any questions, please reach out to Josh Allen, associate director of human resources, at 417-836-5102 or JoshuaAllen@missouristate.edu.

Adaptations for COVID-19

Colleges and universities throughout the world have analyzed a variety of strategies and tactics to protect their campus communities and mitigate spread of COVID-19.

We have done this at MSU as well. This fall, we:

• Implemented a masking requirement.
• Established quarantine and isolation protocols for the campus community.
• Significantly restricted travel and events.
• Moved a large number of our classes online and to blended formats.
• Adopted new cleaning and disinfecting protocols, which included closing campus two days in October for cleaning.

As a part of the many adjustments, faculty and staff have been creative and attentive in ways to assist students in quarantine. In some cases, faculty have even continued teaching during their own stint in quarantine or isolation.

We also created a COVID-19 response team, tested symptomatic and asymptomatic people throughout the semester, and encouraged social distancing and hand washing.

All of these adjustments have shown a great collaborative spirit.

After a spike in COVID-19 cases early in the semester, our weekly case count decreased and has remained under 100 for the last eight weeks. Meanwhile, we have maintained a robust teaching and learning environment for our faculty and students and continued to operate the university in as normal a manner as possible under the circumstances.

As we develop strategies and tactics for the spring semester, our plan is to continue to build on the good work of our faculty and staff.

Many classes that would normally be fully seated will be taught online or in a blended format.  We will continue to require masks, administer COVID-19 tests, implement quarantine and isolation protocols, and clean and disinfect high-touch areas on campus. In the coming weeks, we will also update our travel and events restrictions.

We have evaluated several options to adjust the spring academic calendar. At this time, we will not make any changes to the calendar.

The spring semester will begin on Jan. 11. We will celebrate holidays and have spring break as set forth in the current academic calendar. Spring commencement is scheduled for May 14.

Similar to how we have operated this fall, we will move forward cautiously and make adjustments and changes in concert with local, state and national public health authorities and as we receive up-to-date data and information about COVID-19.

Thanks for all you do for Missouri State!