President Kennedy COVID-19 message to faculty and staff
April 22, 2020
Dear CU faculty and staff,
I am proud of how CU’s students, faculty and staff have stepped up to the challenges brought about by COVID-19. You have helped us protect the health and safety of our community while also continuing to deliver on our educational mission. There have been bumps in the road, yet we are faring well amid the upheaval. Our students remain our focus. Thank you for everything you are doing.
As I have mentioned in previous communications, our approach is one of triage, stabilization and transformation. We are largely in the second phase now (there is overlap among phases). We know the pandemic has already had substantial negative impacts on our campuses, and while the magnitude of future effects is unclear, we know there is more to come.
Still, we must keep a sharp focus on serving our students, advancing knowledge, research, providing Colorado and beyond a highly skilled workforce, and remaining critical to the fabric of our state.
We will know more about state funding for CU in mid-May, when the legislature sets the budget. CU’s detailed forecast is that state revenue will be down by an estimated $3 billion from the governor’s original budget request. The state’s revenue forecasts show a similar trend. That will mean cuts to all areas of the state budget, including higher education. We should also know about the same time how much we will receive in federal relief/stimulus funding. We have been working tirelessly with state and federal lawmakers to advocate for our needs. In short, our budget picture will be clearer in the coming weeks.
Enrollment is a significant driver of our budget, so safely re-opening our campuses to the extent possible is our goal. We are cautiously optimistic we can do so in some form, with the large caveat that the progress of COVID-19 and the extent of social distancing guidelines will determine what reopening looks like. We are preparing for a number of scenarios. Public health officials will help guide our decisions. We know it will not be business as usual on campuses or in work arrangements. We are discussing phased and cautious returns to offices, following guidelines by cities and the state. Some employees will continue to work remotely for some time to come.
Given the uncertainty and negative budget trends, it is prudent for us to plan for budget reductions. Our mission and values will guide decisions. Approaches will vary by campus, and you will hear more about them in general terms from the chancellors later today and in more precise detail after we learn our budget situation in mid-May. We do know we are withdrawing our request to the Board of Regents for compensation increases. Deferred maintenance funding will likely have to be reduced. Only mission critical hiring will move forward. All budgetary decisions will be made with the best interests of students and the state in mind.
During unprecedented times it is important that the leadership team and I do our parts. I am taking a 10% pay reduction through a furlough, along with members of my executive team and campus chancellors.
While the times threaten our operations and challenge our resolve, opportunities also emerge from crisis. We slowed down activity on the systemwide strategic plan, but have resumed and will continue to advance purposefully to build on the good progress over the academic year. Gaining an understanding of our true priorities has never been more important.
Likewise, two substantial projects we have spent several months working on – online education and technology enablement (now called the Transformation and Innovation Program) – are through the assessment phase and beginning implementation. The current crisis magnifies the critical need for improvements in these areas. I will soon have a separate communication for you on these, given their high-level importance and the wide range of university operations they will touch. They will profoundly impact our future.
The task before CU is not simply to survive the pandemic that has been so disruptive to all aspects of our lives, but to set ourselves on a path that makes us an even more meaningful contributor to the success of our students, state, nation and planet.
COVID-19 has unleashed seismic changes. I have never witnessed more people changing more actions so quickly amid so much uncertainty. CU’s faculty and staff have responded with tremendous creativity and have expended extra effort to ensure we delivered on our teaching, research, service and clinical missions. I deeply appreciate your actions and your commitment. We will get through this.
All the best,
Mark R. Kennedy
President