Office of the Provost

Dear Colleagues,

Several weeks ago I shared that we would introduce a process to review in-person teaching exemption requests for faculty, teaching assistants, and other instructors with significant health risk associated with COVID-19 personally or within their household.

On reviewing the potential options with President Agwunobi and other leaders, and given that all students are now required to be vaccinated, we have decided that all requests to transition one’s teaching from in-person to virtual for medical reasons will be handled through the existing ADA process. This process involves contacting the ADA office and completing the Reasonable Accommodation Request Form. That form and further information on the ADA process is available on the HR website.

Requests for non-medical exceptions should continue to be submitted to deans and department heads, who will make determinations based on sound pedagogy and the best interests of academic programming as we continue moving forward with a return to predominantly in-person instruction.

Thank you for your patience as we navigate this pandemic. I take seriously the Provost’s Office’s responsibility to maintain a safe and productive environment for our academic mission and will continue to work closely with my administrative colleagues to promote safety within our classroom, lab, and other community spaces. As always, you are welcome to share your concerns with me.

Sincerely,
Carl

Carl Lejuez
Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs