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Dear UAF staff and faculty,
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Now that we are almost a year into COVID-19, we have learned many things. More importantly, we continue to learn, allowing us to better prepare for the coming weeks and months, and for the next academic year.
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As we plan for more in person classes, we should be looking for the best of the ways we were before COVID-19 and the ways we have changed because of it. We won’t be the same, and we shouldn’t be. We should be better — better for the ³ÉÈËӰƬ who come from around the world to obtain their education at UAF (virtually and in person).
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One thing we have learned for sure is that we don’t know when, or exactly how, COVID-19 will end — if it ever really does at all. The coronavirus’ adaptations may well mean that it is part of our lives for some years, but we have adaptations too!
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We must take steps today to prepare for next semester when, hopefully, many ³ÉÈËӰƬ, faculty and staff will transition back to in-person activities. What kind of experience will our ³ÉÈËӰƬ want? What modalities have we learned that achieve learning outcomes better than before? What are some good ways to plan for more in-person classes and activities if the COVID-19 situation is better, worse or the same as it is today?
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Our goal is to operate safely, while embracing the changes and opportunity to fulfill our core mission. Reopening UAF campuses for more in-person instruction, layered with safety measures, will help keep our university community vibrant and safe.
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The university can be paradoxical. We lead cutting-edge research where things can change in hours or seconds. But we are also an organization that changes our processes with a great deal of deliberation and intent. We need both agility and deliberation to combat COVID-19 and be a vibrant center of learning. COVID-19 will undoubtedly be part of our operating picture for some time yet to come. As we remake our in-person experience, now more than ever, it is important to look ahead with resolve and determination. We make our future today.
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Thank you for choosing UAF.
— Dan White, chancellor
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