Dean’s Message on Potential Re-Opening of 264 Building

Good morning faculty & staff,

I write today to share information on our school’s plans should Governor Baker rescind the stay-at-home order following the May 18 deadline. I am in ongoing communication with the BU president and provost offices, along with deans across campus, on this matter and plan to keep you informed of any developments.  You may already know that BU is partnering with other universities in Boston and working closely with the governor’s office to develop a strategy that all universities may follow when the time comes to re-open campuses across the state.

Within our school, various committees have begun thinking about the fall and I have begun conversations with various groups including associate and assistant deans, directors and managers about the initial stages of planning for re-opening our school and returning to our offices — steps that may begin towards the end of May or early June. Rest assured that any re-opening will follow health and safety guidelines put forth by the city and state governments as well as by BU’s Medical Advisory Group and BU leadership. Furthermore, any re-opening at our school will be done in a systematic, deliberate, and incrementally slow manner ensuring those guidelines are followed.  We will not rush back!  In the next couple of weeks I will be sharing more information as we continue to get pertinent health information and guidance from the city and state.

In closing, as we envision how to manage the new stage in this crisis (re-entering and, at some point, post-Covid recovery), I want to reiterate how thankful I am for the tremendously creative problem-solving energy that has been continuously demonstrated by each one of you, as well as our associate and assistant deans, directors, managers, and our various committees.  This is what makes our school so strong and successful in our collective response to the challenges we face.

Wising you much health and safety,

Jorge