Dear UNT students,
It has been almost two months since I last saw you on our beautiful campus. I miss you and the hustle and bustle of campus life. During this time, we have all been adapting to virtual services, remote and online classes, and shelter in place. I hope you are doing well, that you are staying safe and healthy, and are making progress. Like me, I suspect you are looking forward to being together again to live, learn, and enjoy our rich campus experience.
Our leadership teams have been working hard to help us begin the transition from remote learning back to more normal campus operations. Today, I want to inform you that we plan to begin limited in-person teaching as early as Summer II and are planning on safely resuming campus learning and residential life for Fall 2020.
As we plan for our return to campus, the new normal will be different. Your safety is our top priority, and we will take every precaution to keep our community safe in this new world. We are assessing options and precautions for eventually returning to campus for all in-person activities and programs, ranging from lab-based research to general instruction and the undergraduate residential experience. Of course, these plans depend on continuing improvement in COVID-19 cases, and guidance from federal, state, and local health authorities to ensure your safety. We will be communicating in the coming weeks about what exactly you can expect when you return to campus.
This global health crisis also has had a financial impact on all of us. I want you to know if you need help of any kind you can get access to our many services at the Start Green Stay Green website (https://www.unt.edu/staygreen). We are here for you through these challenging times. Many of you have been hit hard by the current economy, and we are doing our best to balance easing financial burdens with providing the top quality UNT education and experience you deserve. If you are experiencing financial insecurity, please apply for assistance from our emergency grants-in-aid program available through the CARES Act. These funds are available now and are meant to help you pay your bills so you can stay in school and earn your degree as planned. Applications for the emergency grants-in-aid program can be completed at https://tinyurl.com/UNTStudentSuccessFA.
Despite the many weeks apart, we have become an even stronger, more connected UNT community through this shared adversity. I hope someday we look back at this time and see not just the challenges, but also the love and care we gave one another. We will emerge from this global health crisis stronger and more united as the Mean Green Family than ever before.
UNT proud,
Neal Smatresk
UNT President