LBJ's commitment to public service and safety

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Published:
August 26, 2020

Dear LBJ Community,

Welcome to the 2020 fall semester. Today marks a new beginning in your public policy journey.

Though this semester is unlike any we have experienced, I want to reassure you that since the LBJ School first began responding and adapting to COVID-19 in March, we have been driven by care for your well-being and determination to sustain quality educational programming and interesting professional experiences.

Faculty, students, and staff have moved to remote learning environments, adjusted research plans, rearranged family schedules, altered study plans, cared for infected family members, and volunteered in our communities. We have found new ways to stay connected as we have stayed apart, to stay creative at a time when we all need some entertainment, and to stay healthy at a time when good health is so precious.

We have also been working with the University on additional plans and resources to keep our students, staff, and faculty safe. The University has put in place appropriate public health responses, including efforts to source masks and hand sanitizers, prepare buildings for safe occupancy, and institute testing protocols for the most at risk. The Forty Acres is where predictive models for COVID spread were developed and used nationwide. It is where an app has been designed to keep our community informed of COVID-related incidents, and it is where numerous colleges, schools and units contributed to the many varied challenges posed by the virus — from the design of protective gear to the development of recovery plans for our communities.

I want to share more about how we are continuing our work and carrying forward our commitment to care: how it's informing our decision making, the significant steps we’re taking to keep everyone safe, and the ways in which our School will look different.


Welcoming the Fall

Our commitment remains firm: to conduct our Fall semester in ways and under conditions that keep you safe. First, there will be far fewer students, staff and faculty on campus than normal. Those on campus are expected to wear masks and maintain social distancing requirements.

We have also offered classes in several modalities to minimize the number of students and faculty on site; we have reconfigured our spaces to honor social distancing protocols; we have secured masks and hand sanitizers for each member of our community; and we have restricted access to our building, both in terms of who holds access rights and the hours during which the building will be open for business. These decisions have been informed by careful and meticulous assessments. We will continue to monitor circumstances and review data as the uncertainties of the virus remain.

Our staff have been extraordinary. They have undertaken herculean efforts to maintain a seamless flow of service. We are fortunate to have such a dedicated, hardworking, and motivated staff.


What is ahead

The consequences of the COVID-19 virus are still playing out. We know that no matter how well we prepare, there are likely to be challenges ahead. But whatever those challenges may be, COVID-19 has only reinforced my faith in you — in our faculty, in our students, and in our staff.

I know you will be our patient partners who will look after one another and do what you can to keep each other safe. We will work hard to maintain the extraordinary community that defines the LBJ School. We will ensure that in these times of uncertainty, unrest and political high stakes we will be steady, strong and always available to and for you.

In the future, when we can reflect on COVID-19, we will remember how so many people around the world put the well being of others above their own. We at the LBJ School plan to hold these values. We will always put the health and safety of our community above all else. I hope you will join me in a commitment to Protect Texas Together.

Thank you for all you are doing to support the COVID 19 response and to engage civically — by volunteering, donating, sharing gratitude for our medical and service workers, or maintaining social distance to protect the health of our community.

Stay well, stay safe, and I hope to see you during this semester.

Warmest Regards,

 

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