Dear A&S Community,
This morning, University of Toronto President Meric Gertler sent a message to the University of Toronto community to update all members of the university community on the University’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Included in that message is the announcement that the University of Toronto is cancelling all in-person undergraduate courses, as well as research-stream Masters and Doctoral courses, across its three campuses from March 16 to April 3, in response to the outbreak of COVID-19 in Canada and around the globe.
A&S instructors are currently transitioning their courses to alternate modes of delivery and they will communicate these changes to the students in their classes. I want to thank instructors across all of our academic units for their dedication to students, and I want to thank students for their patience and flexibility as we transition courses in a relatively short period of time.
I know that students, instructors and staff are concerned about the upcoming exam period, and I understand that the uncertainty is particularly challenging. Both as A&S and as part of the overall University, we are taking some time to make a decision regarding how to proceed with exams. We are doing so to ensure that this decision is both thoughtful and effective. A decision will be announced by Wednesday, March 18th.
We are in uncharted waters, and with that brings fear and anxiety. I want to express my deep gratitude and admiration to all members of our community for the resilience and thoughtfulness that’s already been displayed. Please continue to support one another and to take care of yourselves.
With warm regards,
Melanie A. Woodin
Dean, Faculty of Arts & Science
Professor, Department of Cell & Systems Biology
University of Toronto