Updates on Coronavirus Effect on Students
LEXINGTON, Ky. (March 19, 2020) — University of Kentucky President Eli Capilouto on Tuesday announced that UK will move to online or alternative formats for classroom instruction for the rest of the semester in response to the continued spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19).
Based on the advice of health experts, guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and directives from Governor Andy Beshear, the university is moving quickly to be responsive to the needs of everyone in the UK community.
“We have a responsibility to do everything we can to stem the tide of this disease,” Capilouto said. “It requires us to make significant changes to honor our most important principles: protecting the health, safety, and well-being of everyone in our community; and enabling our students, faculty, and staff to succeed.
Below is a list of adjustments that will impact students:
Instruction and learning, housing and dining refunds
- Instruction will move to online or other alternative learning formats, effective March 23 through the end of the spring 2020 semester.
- UK will continue to communicate with faculty, students and their families about how the university can support them in the transition to online instruction for the remainder of this semester.
- Students should make plans to return to their residences away from campus to continue their studies remotely through the end of the semester.
- UK is requiring students who live on campus to return to their homes unless they receive approval to remain on campus. The form for that process can be accessed here: https://uky.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_5anzHcU9XYAHP1P.
- UK is developing a process for refunds for housing and dining, and details will be communicated widely.
- For 24/7 technical assistance, please contact ITS Customer Services at 859-218-HELP (4357) or visit the Technology Help Center at http://techhelpcenter.uky.edu . For assistance with non-urgent matters, email 218help@uky.edu.
Events
- As both the CDC and the governor have advised, in-person events will be canceled or postponed until the end of the semester. Organizations may continue to meet remotely when possible.
- UK is postponing Commencement to ensure the safety of students and their families, as well as staff and faculty who participate. There will be a Commencement to celebrate the remarkable achievements of the Spring 2020 graduating class; UK will announce Commencement details when they are complete and in plenty of time for families to make travel plans.
- This does not change the semester completion date for students, nor does it affect the timeline for students earning their degrees.
Please consult UK’s special website for the latest information about the university’s response to this health challenge: https://www.uky.edu/coronavirus/.
President Capilouto’s full campus message can be read here: https://www.uky.edu/president/sites/www.uky.edu.president/files/3-17-2020_final.pdf
As the state’s flagship, land-grant institution, the University of Kentucky exists to advance the Commonwealth. We do that by preparing the next generation of leaders — placing students at the heart of everything we do — and transforming the lives of Kentuckians through education, research and creative work, service and health care. We pride ourselves on being a catalyst for breakthroughs and a force for healing, a place where ingenuity unfolds. It's all made possible by our people — visionaries, disruptors and pioneers — who make up 200 academic programs, a $476.5 million research and development enterprise and a world-class medical center, all on one campus.