Dear Students, Families, Faculty and Staff:
With the 2021-22 academic year officially behind us, I want to again express my gratitude for the cooperation and flexibility of our students, faculty and staff, who committed to the public health safeguards necessary to maintain a robust residential academic experience over the past year. It has taken a dedicated community effort to get us to this point, and I’m extremely proud of all we’ve accomplished together.
The Syracuse Workforce Run (formerly the J.P. Morgan Corporate Challenge) will be held on Tuesday, June 21, at 6:45 p.m. at Onondaga Lake Park. The 5K (3.1 miles) race is an annual tradition bringing together employees from organizations across the greater Syracuse area for a night of camaraderie, networking, food and beverages, and friendly competition. Proceeds from this year’s race will benefit the Rescue Mission Alliance of Syracuse, a non-profit fighting local hunger and homelessness.
Another installment of the popular Crucial Conversations program will be offered to faculty and staff following Commencement weekend.
The seven-week, in-person series, which is particularly well-suited for managers and supervisors, will begin on May 17 and wrap up on June 28. Sessions will be held each Tuesday from 9 to 11 a.m. at a North Campus location yet to be determined.
Dear Students, Faculty, Staff and Families:
With less than four weeks to go in the spring semester, our campus is beginning to experience an uptick in COVID cases, a trend that is consistent with what is occurring across the country and here in Onondaga County. As we approach the end of year activities, including final projects and exams, and Commencement exercises, it is important that we take reasonable action to minimize the impact of COVID infections on academic outcomes and experiences. That’s why, effective Tuesday, April 19, our campus will transition to COVID level “Blue.”
Dear Students, Faculty, Staff and Families:
As you may be aware, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is now recommending indoor masking in Onondaga County. This recommendation is based on three data points, including active COVID cases, hospitalizations and hospital capacity. The CDC’s action does not represent a federal masking order but is instead a recommendation to our community. The University has no new information to indicate that the Onondaga County Health Department or the New York State Department of Health intend to issue a local masking order in response to the CDC’s most recent guidance.
Dear Students, Faculty, Staff and Families:
As spring break comes to an end, I hope you are feeling recharged and ready to tackle the final weeks of the Spring 2022 semester. Whether you traveled away from campus or spent your time in Syracuse catching up on rest and other activities, in preparation for the return to campus life, I want to share some important public health reminders.
Last week, the University announced that pending current public health conditions, it would move to masking level “Yellow.” After assessing the current landscape, both here on campus and throughout Central New York, effective tomorrow, Monday, March 14, the University is officially at masking level “Yellow.”
In recent weeks, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), New York State Governor Kathy Hochul, the Onondaga County executive, and many of our national and New York state peer institutions have announced significant changes to public health guidelines. Primarily, these changes relate to reduced indoor masking requirements, including the elimination of mask mandates for children attending K-12 public schools across New York state.
Dear Students, Faculty, Staff and Families:
Thank you for your continued commitment to safeguarding the health and well-being of our community throughout the COVID pandemic. As you are aware, shortly after the start of the fall semester, the University’s COVID level was elevated to “Red” based on increasing COVID cases, hospitalizations and test positivity rates on campus, in Central New York and across New York state. The University’s COVID level has remained at “Red” since Aug. 28. However, today I am writing to inform you that effective Monday, Feb. 21, our campus will transition to level “Blue.”
The seven-week, in-person class will begin on Friday, Feb. 25, and run through April 8. Participants must attend for all seven weeks.
Participants will gain skills for creating alignment and agreement by fostering open dialogue around high-stakes, emotional or risky topics at all levels of an organization. These are conversations around work quality, time management, productivity, performance, sensitive issues, conflict or a strained relationship, for example.
