Message from the President

“Now this is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end.
But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning.” Winston Churchill

As the news about the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) churns around us, we worry about beginnings and endings. As restaurants, malls, concerts halls, galleries, and other institutions shutter their doors, we worry for those who are left fending for themselves. We worry for friends, family members, coworkers, or anyone impacted by this pandemic. And everyone is impacted.

As I wrote earlier in this crisis, we have a shared responsibility to make decisions that will ensure the health and well-being of our students as well as our staff and faculty, and everyone who is dependent on any of these people.

We made the decision to extend the Spring Break by one week so that we could buy time to develop and test options to complete this semester. We also extended the break so that students could have a bit more time to make alternative housing arrangements if possible. Some of these decisions have been heartbreaking to make and even more heartbreaking for students to bear.

Supporting our students today is our most important mission. If you are a student in need please reach out through covid19@miad.edu .The resources that students depend on are still available. We have tutors available for academic issues, counseling services for those in need, food for those students who must remain in the residence hall, and the MIAD Student Emergency Fund for those financially distressed by this pandemic.

I see our values in action every day: the kindness of those setting up a student food pantry at 252, the integrity of our faculty moving instruction online, the innovation from everyone moving operations offsite, the individual courage to move forward in paralyzing times, the community of problem solvers kicking into high gear, the emergency fundraising efforts with inclusion at the core.

With profound gratitude,

Jeff Morin
President