Dear Broad alumni,

Understandably, there is great concern about the situation being created by the novel coronavirus, which can cause a respiratory disease known as COVID-19.

Please know that this situation is dynamic and evolving. The MSU campus community is working hard to ensure that we make the right decisions to address the well-being of our entire community and the continued success of our students.

With MSU’s decision to move to virtual instruction on March 11 for the rest of the Spring semester, we have had to create a number of resources, almost overnight, to support our community throughout this transition. We are diligently providing and adapting our educational paradigms, technical capabilities and assessment techniques to achieve the best possible teaching and learning experience in a virtual and remote setting. In the process we are also learning, as any learning organization should.

Through these challenging times, uppermost in our minds is the need to ease the anxiety, uncertainty and stress that our Broad Spartans are facing. For many students, their projects and group work have been disrupted, timing and structure of exams are being changed, and the prospect of internships for this summer are coming under a cloud of uncertainty. For our graduating students, we are truly disappointed to put off commencement ceremonies and very concerned about the status of their full-time employment offers.

I want to thank those of you who have reconnected with the Broad College and offered your resources as alumni to support our students, faculty and staff. Knowing that our fellow Spartans are here for us during this time is what truly helps us to aim higher, do better and keep going.

Despite these completely unanticipated and very difficult circumstances, I have been overwhelmed by our community’s commitment to take on each day’s challenges with the unwavering “Spartans Will” spirit. As we all continue to navigate this uncertain time, please remember to support and uplift one another and show value to all members of our community.

With sincerity and in Spartan service,