Message from Rose-Hulman President Robert A. Coons:

Students come to Rose-Hulman for a world-class education, experienced in a community that unites students, faculty, and staff in authentic care and mutual support for one another. These values have been foremost in our careful consideration of possible responses to the public health situation caused COVID-19 coronavirus.

Ultimately, we have decided that we can best serve our students and community at this time by transitioning to remote learning, canceling face-to-face class meetings and most on-campus events.

While we are now making rapid changes to our practices as circumstances evolve, our commitment to our mission remains steadfast. In the weeks to come, we intend for Rose-Hulman to remain an atmosphere of individual attention and support for one another.

Although there are no suspected or confirmed cases of COVID-19 on the Rose-Hulman campus, the number of cases in Indiana continues to rise. After careful consideration, and in collaboration with faculty and staff across campus, we are employing the following measures:

• All Friday, March 13 classes are canceled.
• Spring Break – originally scheduled April 11-19, is moved to March 13-22.
• This change in schedule will allow faculty, administrators and support staff the opportunity to continue preparations for a virtual, e-learning environment.
• At this time, we plan to conduct classes online beginning March 23 through April 19, at a minimum. We will continue to assess the situation daily and provide updates on when in-person instruction will resume, as the situation becomes clearer. All athletic events have also been suspended during this time.
• All classrooms, labs and learning facilities (such as the Branam Innovation Center/Kremer Innovation Center), as well as the Logan Library, will be closed to students during this time. Residence halls and the Mussallem Union will remain open. Dining services will continue to operate.
• We recognize that some students will elect to remain home to take their online courses, whereas others may choose to remain on campus. Student Affairs will communicate with students to learn of their intentions.
• Faculty will identify courses that cannot be taught remotely and will put plans in place to respond to those situations. Students should be informed of those plans by Wednesday, March 18, from that area department head or academic advisor.
• Students should contact their faculty for any specific software needs for e-learning.
• Faculty will work with students taking their classes on their e-learning approaches and expectations.
• All on-campus events, without written special permission through the Office of the President, are canceled through March 31.
• The campus will not be closed during this period, including spring break. Campus offices and services will remain open. The institute will continue to employ advanced cleaning and disinfecting measures on all building hard surfaces.
• Employees, except those on sick, vacation or FMLA leave, are expected to report to work as normal. Area vice presidents will offer guidance on expectations during this time.
• All non-essential, institute-related domestic travel is suspended through March 31, at a minimum.
• We have shared with our campus community best practices around preventive measures to control the spread of the virus.

We recognize our community has many questions. We continue to work through logistical issues as quickly as possible and are meeting daily to work through these challenges. We will continue to update the campus as details emerge and appreciate your patience.

We recognize the disruption to our students’ education and are committed to fulfilling our educational mission during this time. We will do all we can to ensure our students continue to progress to their degree.

Rose-Hulman will continue to update our website with institute actions based on information provided by the CDC, Indiana State Department of Health, and the Vigo County Health Department. You can find that page at https://www.rose-hulman.edu/about-us/community-and-public-services/health/index.html.