In preparation for the return to campus, President Bendapudi and Provost Gonzalez stressed the importance of in-person work through a .

“This fall, we expect to offer a majority of in-person classes and highly engaging experiences on campus that support the whole student body. To do that, we must have a strong, welcoming presence in our classrooms and student-service areas. This means front-facing and student-service positions will need to have a consistent presence on campus,” the communication noted. 

Although many have eagerly awaited the return to pre-COVID conditions, the impending transition back to in-person work has left employees throughout the nation feeling anxious. Over the past year and a half, individuals rose to the occasion and adapted to the difficulties of isolation and remote working conditions. Just as employees have fully adjusted to these changes, employers are now requesting personnel to return to in-person operations. Several universities have proposed stringent policies that will make remote work difficult for employees, which has caused mounting tensions and high turnover rates among university workers nationwide.

While there is an emphasis on in-person work at UofL, leadership has been committed to providing flexible work options for employees when possible. The went into effect on July 1 and allows UofL employees to request remote work arrangements with their respective department leaders. To help supervisors and employees navigate the process, HR provided a series of training sessions during the month of May to review both the Remote Work Policy and Remote Work Agreement.

The flexibility offered through UofL’s Remote Work Policy intends to lessen the anxieties of both faculty and staff as they resume on-campus work. Employees like Kevin Ledford, enterprise systems programmer with Information Technology Services, see potential for lasting positive changes for employees at UofL.

“During COVID-19, our staff has been largely acting remotely and been doing a fantastic job in the face of challenges. We have proven that a number of our workers can work remotely and be as effective, if not more so, than they were before,” Ledford stated. “Allowing workers flexibility goes a long way towards making UofL a great place to work. Giving the worker the flexibility to request what works best for them and work with their department to come up with a plan is a good step forward.”

Despite the flexibility of working from home, many faculty and staff members have been yearning for in-person interactions with students and colleagues. Sherri Wallace, professor of Political Science, is among the employees eager to return to campus this August.

“I’m looking forward to the energy I get from my students during in-person instruction, the looks on students’ faces that indicate where they are and the dynamic discussions that emanate from being in the moment or in the room. I’m looking forward to the casual or vigorous intellectual exchanges that occur in the hallway or on the way to a meeting with colleagues and staff,” Wallace said. “I realize and appreciate virtual or electronic discussions are now part of the norm for communication; however, nothing can or will ever replace social interaction from working in-sync and in-person with those around you.”

Whether employees are returning to campus, continuing remote work or some hybrid fashion of the two, a cautious optimism is felt throughout as UofL begins transitioning back to pre-COVID operations. For more information on the Remote Work Policy and the return to campus, students and employees can refer to . All remote work requests should be submitted and finalized by Aug. 1, 2021.

Bendapudi informed senators that the university recently received positive ratings by Standard & Poor’s and Moody’s. These credit rating agencies evaluate several different industries, including higher education institutions.

“We were downgraded by these agencies for a couple of years, but this year, they took notice of the fact that we have stabilized our finances. We took some important corrective measures that we needed to, and I am pleased to tell you that both of them changed the outlook of the university from negative to stable,” Bendapudi said.

Bendapudi also provided senators with preliminary information on budgeting priorities. She asserted that her highest priority will be the restoration of retirement benefits, pending approval from the Board of Trustees. If passed, retirement benefits will be restored to 7.5% effective July 1.

Bendapudi also addressed her priority on employee healthcare, stating “we are making a commitment that there will not be any health care cost increases. Last year, we felt that given everything going on, the university would absorb those additional costs and not pass it on to our employees. So, I am pleased to tell you that for a second year in a row, the university will absorb those increases.”

Mary Elizabeth Miles, vice president for Human Resources, informed senators about upcoming training sessions for the Remote Work Policy. The policy was developed over the past year with the assistance and feedback of several members of the university community, including the Policy and Economic Development Committee of the Staff Senate.

Referencing the Miles stated, “department leaders may offer flexible work options to employees as long as a strong presence is in our classrooms and student-service areas are maintained and the overall operations of our schools, colleges and departments are continued without compromising the quality or productivity.”

The new Remote Work Policy and the Remote Work Agreement will be released on June 1. At that time, employees wishing to work from home may submit the Remote Work Agreements to their first- and second-line supervisors. Any denials will be directed to the department head for final review and determination.

In response to feedback from staff and faculty members, HR will be providing a series of supervisor and employee HRtalks training sessions to review the Remote Work Policy and Remote Work Agreement. All faculty and staff were encouraged to attend the upcoming trainings, which can be accessed from the .

Executive Vice President and University Provost Lori Gonzalez announced that her office is interviewing for a chief of staff to the provost. Gonzalez stated that the position will increase the responsiveness of the Office of the Provost. Four candidates were interviewed for the Dean of the College of ����ֱ�� and Human Development, and Gonzalez announced that a decision should be expected in the near future. 

Committee reports and a of the virtual meeting can be found on the . The next Staff Senate meeting will be held on June 8 via Microsoft Teams.

For 73 days, since senior leaders began considering major interventions related to the COVID-19 pandemic on March 9, you’ve done heroic work to keep the university operating while facing unprecedented challenges in your lives. In 88 days, we’ll face the fall semester and create a new normal — together.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic began affecting our community, we have intentionally prioritized the health and well-being of our staff, faculty and students. As you know, Provost Boehm is leading our planning efforts for a safe return to campus this fall. While that important work will ensure we are ready for August and September, I know many of you have questions about June and July.

Beginning June 1, we will cautiously begin our pivot to the fall, continuing to keep the health and safety of our faculty, staff and students as our top priority. This phased transition will include the following:

• We have extended the remote-work policy through June 30 for those employees who can continue performing their duties off campus.
• Beginning June 1, certain units whose vice president, dean or vice provost determines they have critical on-campus needs may begin to bring some employees back to campus. Those decisions will be approved by central administration, and those units will follow the governor’s plan for reopening businesses. This includes enforcing physical distancing, limiting face-to-face meetings, providing an initial supply of masks for on-campus employees, restricting access to common areas, providing plenty of hand sanitizer and encouraging frequent hand washing.
• Beginning June 1, small meetings and events of 10 or fewer people may be held.
• Pay reductions and furloughs scheduled between now and June 30 will continue as planned.
• Some research labs and clinical research programs will begin to open following strict health and safety guidelines. You can read more about these EVPRI guidelines under “Research Reopening Plans.”
• We will continue to evaluate the situation and update the campus on next steps prior to July 1.

Fall 2020: A ‘new normal’

While we anticipate the COVID-19 pandemic to influence our actions for the foreseeable future, we are preparing for the fall semester under what we expect to be a “new normal” environment.  As Provost Boehm wrote to faculty and staff last week, we have formed – each including faculty, staff and student representatives – to lead those preparations: a coordinating committee to develop plans for campus operations, student services and other key functions; a safe return to campus committee to plan testing necessary to safely return to work and classes; and an academic scenario planning committee to address delivery of academic programming. We will share information from those committees as they develop those plans.

While none of us knows what the future holds, we are working diligently to ensure that the University of Louisville will be prepared for any eventuality. Details about UofL’s phased approach toward returning to “normal” are included below: 

Phase 1: March 16-May 30; remote work when possible/recommended

• Face coverings or masks, required except in individual office
• Physical distancing, required
• Meeting restrictions, remote only
• Enhanced hand washing/use of hand sanitizer, recommended
• Increased cleaning of high-touch surfaces, required
• Use of hand sanitizer to enter food service areas, required
• SARS-CoV2 screening tests, not available
• Contact investigations and tracing, required
• Mandatory face-to-face instruction, not applicable 

Phase 2: June 1-30; low-density on-site work; predominantly remote

• Face coverings or masks, required except in individual office
• Physical distancing, required
• Meeting restrictions, remote only unless 10 people or fewer with distancing and masking
• Enhanced hand washing/use of hand sanitizer, recommended
• Increased cleaning of high-touch surfaces, required
• Use of hand sanitizer to enter food service areas, required
• SARS-CoV2 screening tests, limited testing begins
• Contact investigations and tracing, required
• Mandatory face-to-face instruction, not applicable 

Phase 3: TBD time frame; return to full ‘new normal’ operations; medium-density on-site work, some remote

• Face coverings or masks, required in all public areas
• Physical distancing, required unless masked and distancing is not possible
• Meeting restrictions, larger meetings allowed when appropriate distancing and/or masking. Maximum size TBD
• Enhanced hand washing/use of hand sanitizer, recommended
• Increased cleaning of high-touch surfaces, required
• Use of hand sanitizer to enter food service areas, required
• SARS-CoV2 screening tests, expanded screening assuming sufficient testing supplies
• Contact investigations and tracing, required with possible expanded tracing capabilities 
• Mandatory face-to-face instruction, not permitted 

Phase 4: TBD time frame; back to normal 

• Face coverings or masks, not required
• Physical distancing, not required
• Meeting restrictions, no restrictions
• Enhanced hand washing/use of hand sanitizer, recommended
• Increased cleaning of high-touch surfaces, recommended
• Use of hand sanitizer to enter food service areas, encourage and available
• SARS-CoV2 screening tests, only when clinically indicated
• Contact investigations and tracing, required but expanded contact investigations and tracing no longer necessary 
• Mandatory face-to-face instruction, TBD

As always, thank you for your dedication to the university and for your continued support as we navigate this uncharted territory. I promise you this: we will get through this together.

Go Cards!

Neeli