Message from the Office of the President

February 29, 2020\

A Message from the Office of the President
Dr. David Wilson on the
University's Response to the Coronavirus

Dear Morgan Community,

As the global spread of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) continues to dominate the news, please be assured in knowing that the University is monitoring this very fluid situation. Currently, there have been no confirmed cases in the state of Maryland. However, please know that we are committed to being decisive in the protection of our campus community. Yesterday, in response to the latest developments, I convened my administrative team and unit leaders for an emergency preparedness meeting to discuss the University's strategic response should a case of the Coronavirus be identified on the Morgan campus. We also brought in the deputy commissioner for the Baltimore City Health Department to brief those in attendance of the City and State's efforts as it relates to this matter. During the development of our response plan, we will continue to receive information and guidance from all appropriate health officials, so that we can keep the campus community informed and communicate new updates as they become available. Those updates will be housed on the following dedicated page found on the University website: https://www.morgan.edu/uhc/coronavirus-info.

Please be reminded that there are some simple practices that can be performed in our daily routines that will go a long way in providing protection from contagious respiratory illnesses like the flu or help avert the spread of communicable viruses. These tips are available on the University and Centers for Disease Control (CDC) websites. Please take the time to review these preventative measures and put them into practice.

Keeping our students and faculty out of harm's way is a top priority, and with the spread of the Coronavirus being a global issue, that means we will have to evaluate how we engage with the rest of the world, particularly as it relates to Study Abroad. Right now, there are a number of places internationally that the CDC is recommending that we not travel to and a few more where health authorities caution. Presently, we do not have any students participating in Study Abroad programs in any of the countries where the CDC recommends against traveling. However, because of the CDC travel advisories, I have issued a moratorium on all university-sponsored student travel to China, Italy, Japan, South Korea, and Iran until the health concern has been lifted and, in the days to come, we will be further studying this issue to determine if additional action needs to be taken in relation to other regions abroad.

I appreciate your understanding and cooperation as we deal with this situation together as a community.

Warm regards,

David Wilson
President