Last week, the Springfield area was hit with a wintery mix. While the forecast called for inclement weather, we didn’t know if it would be ice, snow, freezing rain, sleet or some combination.

Student and employee safety is paramount when deciding to move classes to remote learning or remain open. We do have a policy for this. And the policy outlines three options.

1. Remote learning, offices open – Moving academic classes to remote learning format and keeping offices open. This only impacts faculty and students.
2. Remote learning, offices closed – Offices are closed and academic classes are moved to remote learning. This impacts all non-faculty personnel other than those deemed as essential by the vice president of the division.
3. University closed – The cancellation of academic classes and the closure of offices. This impacts all faculty and non-faculty personnel other than those deemed as essential by the vice president of the division (this could be a result of a power outage, disaster, etc.)

Let me walk you through the process of how we decide what action to take. The day before the forecasted weather event, we take these actions:

• University safety sits in on National Weather Service briefings and prepares and sends weather updates to Administrative Council members and other impacted areas. Weather updates are provided throughout the day.
• Support services runs a report that shows the number of seated classes and the number of students in those classes for the next day.
• A list of major campus events is prepared.

By 5 p.m., Rob Rowley, our director of university safety, decides whether the decision-making team will meet on Zoom at 5 a.m. the following morning.

Here’s a brief outline of activities that take place the morning of the forecasted weather event:

• By 4:45 a.m., the directors for university safety and university facilities have talked with the vice president (VP) for administration and finance to discuss conditions on campus and roadways. They review the latest information from the National Weather Service, Greene County emergency management and the Missouri Dept. of Transportation.
• By 5 a.m., the VP for admin and finance has contacted leaders from other area universities and schools to get their decisions on opening. They’re often still in the decision-making process.
• At 5 a.m., the decision-making team comprising the VPs of admin and finance, marketing and communications (Marcom), student affairs, the exec VP, the provost and the directors for university safety and university facilities gather via Zoom. During that meeting, they decide whether adjustments to normal operations should occur.
• At 5:30 a.m., Marcom personnel post notices on the website and on social media and send Missouri State Alerts if normal operations are being adjusted. The goal is to have everything posted and sent before 6 a.m. Notices are provided to the TV/radio stations for their closures list.

With the unpredictable weather we have in the Ozarks, these decisions often aren’t easy. We always strive to balance safety with a commitment to meeting our mission to educate students. Because many courses include in-person labs that are difficult to make up or reschedule, our goal is to keep campus open when it’s deemed safe.

Last Wednesday was one of those difficult days. Precipitation wasn’t forecasted to start until 7 a.m., hours after our team meets to decide. In this instance, Springfield was on the southern-most edge of the system, and it was projected the storm would have minimal impact on travel conditions.

We had salted sidewalks and parking lots the night before and felt confident we could keep up with the expected amount of precipitation, so we decided to remain open. It’s a difficult decision, but please know we take this decision very seriously and take precautions to make campus safe.

Thank you to all the folks who work hard to make these decisions, our grounds employees and custodians who keep our campus safe and navigable and the staff who work during inclement weather to support our students in the residence and dining halls. A big thanks to our faculty who make the switch to remote learning to create a seamless environment for our students. It’s a team effort!

Forum for our last provost candidate postponed

Due to inclement weather, the visit of our last finalist for the provost position, Dr. Mitchell McKinney, has been postponed to next week. His public forum, which was supposed to take place this afternoon, will be rescheduled. The new date will be announced soon and it will be updated on this page.

Thanks for checking in. It’s a great day to be a Bear!

Biff