Coronavirus Update

Published: 3/14/2020

Letter to Faculty and Staff

Dear Wilmington University Community,

Thank you for being flexible as the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic continues to evolve. We understand the uncertainty and stress placed on our employees, their families and communities. As I stated in an earlier message, we are committed to the health and welfare of the entire University community.

The University continues to take a proactive approach to prevention with the goal of lessening the spread of the virus; therefore, a decision has been made to close the University at all locations effective Tuesday, March 17, 2020, through Sunday, March 29, 2020. The University will continue to evaluate and monitor the daily updates on the outbreak. We will communicate to you no later than March 27, 2020, if plans to reopen change.

Although our University offices will be closed, the expectation is that employees will work remotely during this time and continue to serve our students. If you are unable to complete your job responsibilities remotely, please contact your supervisor. We will have a small number of essential employees at our various sites. Employees who choose to work on campus instead of working remotely must receive approval from their Vice President. A list of these employees should be kept and shared with University Safety. Assistant Vice President Dr. Joe Aviola will be the point of contact.

The University will be continuously monitoring the situation in conjunction with local, state and national public health officials. We will continue to provide updates as available.

If you are exhibiting symptoms (COVID-19 symptoms: fever, cough, shortness of breath) you should report this to your supervisor, not come to work, contact your primary care physician and self-isolate. If you believe you have been exposed to the COVID-19 virus you should contact the DE Division of Public Health (1-866-408-1899).

As a reminder, there are resources available to employees through our employee assistance Health Advocate at 866-799-2728 or online at Health Advocate.

Thank you for your ongoing efforts and dedication to our students. The University will continue to offer assistance and support to ensure employees will have every resource available as they meet the needs of our students remotely.

Here are some helpful resources to guide you with setting up the remote access capability:

IT is bolstering our help desk coverage to support any issues that may arise as employees work from home, so please encourage them to email all issues including connecting or accessing the Internet to helpdesk@wilmu.edu. A trained staff member will call them back to help address their problem.

Please contact the IT help desk for assistance using VPN, Skype for Business and/or Zoom.

Thank you.

Sincerely,

Dr. LaVerne T. Harmon
President