Dear FAS Colleagues,
I write to follow up on President Salovey’s message regarding the university response to COVID-19. If you have not yet had the chance to read the message in full, I encourage you to do so now. The message describes the university’s decision to move all classes to an on-line format, its request to students to return or remain at home, and its new policies concerning domestic and international travel.
In response, many of you have written with questions about teaching, research, and the on-going business of departments and programs. I want to assure you that we will be responding to each of these issues in the coming days.
I will send further FAS guidance to all faculty by the end of this week; the divisional deans will reach out with division-specific advice. The Dean of the Graduate School, Lynn Cooley, has written to graduate students, and the Dean of Yale College, Marvin Chun, is in continuing correspondence with undergraduate students and their guardians. Human Resources will be providing guidance for staff in a detailed message later this week; the Poorvu Center is providing support for educational continuity; and the University is maintaining a webpage with university-wide information. We realize that this deluge of information may be overwhelming, but we are working to make sure that each particular issue is addressed by those with the greatest expertise and authority.
In the meantime, please reach out to me or your divisional dean with any urgent questions.
In this time of professional and personal uncertainty, I am grateful for your understanding and your leadership. May these days be filled with courage and compassion.
In colleagueship,
Tamar
Tamar Szabó Gendler
Dean, Faculty of Arts and Sciences
Vincent J. Scully Professor of Philosophy
Professor of Psychology and Cognitive Science