UW hosted a virtual information session today and will host another tomorrow to update faculty and non-faculty staff and employees on the fall reopening phased approach said Interim Provost Anne Alexander who will speak in the meeting Friday. Questions will also be taken after the short presentations.
“The purpose of the staff information sessions is to give UW staff members as much up-to-date information as possible about the revised fall return plan and to answer their questions,” said Associate Vice President for Marketing and Communication Chad Baldwin.
Like today’s session, the information session tomorrow will be from 2 to 3:30 Mountain time. Thursday’s information session, for non-faculty staff and employees, consisted of Vice President of Student Affairs Kimberly Chestnut and Associate Vice President for Human Resources Tom Koczara. Friday’s information session, for faculty members, will consist of Interim Provost Anne Alexander and Vice Provost Tami Benham-Deal.
Here is Friday’s Zoom link https://uwyo.zoom.us/j/98989742985 to view the information session. President Seidel has granted 90 minutes of release time for these meetings for employees to participate according to a UW press release.
Baldwin said Koczara and Chestnut spoke on details affecting employees such as remote work, testing and safety requirements in the Thursday session. Alexander will speak on the phased reopening plan and how it impacts classes and when students and faculty may return to campus in the Friday session. She said she is personally excited to talk about first year seminars which all freshmen are required to take. After this short presentation Alexander said questions will be taken from the public.
Alexander said she predicts faculty will ask questions concerning the testing plans, help that is available for online aspects, how research is impacted, and any other complications.
“I think it’s important that people feel they have the time and permission, with the incredibly hard work and extra time we’ve been asking of people, to be part of the planning and problem solving,” said Alexander.
Alexander said there was a last minute information session last week on Thursday with two hours notice to faculty to attend, however, 350 people were still able to attend the session and she predicts the same amount of people will attend today. The meeting is “capped” at 500 attendees due to Zoom constrictions though said Alexander.
“Last Thursday’s session was called with only two hours notice so some people may not have been able to attend who wanted to,” said Alexander. “Some people may have been out in the field doing research or in transit and have just learned of our phased reopening. New questions may have emerged in the past week. So we want to give people a chance to get information as and if they need it.”
Baldwin said it is expected to have more sessions in the fall with staff, faculty and students and Alexander said she will attend these sessions “as much as people need them.”
