This message was sent to parents and families by Provost and Senior Vice President Patrick Phillips.

April 8, 2020

Dear University of Oregon parents and family members,

As the UO’s chief academic officer, my top priority is to maintain the highest-possible academic standards and to ensure the success of each and every student who passes through our doors. It is our mission to make sure your students have a collegiate experience that allows them feel nurtured, coached, and guided toward graduation while they are here. Ultimately, we want all of our Ducks to be prepared for the world they will step into once they have a degree, to find a career they are passionate about, and to thrive.

The last several weeks have been trying for all of us in Eugene, in Oregon, and across the world, as we try to find our bearings in the wake of the coronavirus. Like you, our university community has been disrupted, but we are working diligently to make sure we have a system in place to allow students to continue their educations with as little disruption as possible. I’m proud of our institutional response and the tremendous effort that I have seen throughout the university community to come together in support of our students.

That being said, we know that there have been challenges in our remote delivery of instruction, and we are working hard to fix any problems. I am confident that our faculty will continue to find ways to reach out to their students, engage them in the meaningful educational experience that characterizes who we are at UO, and look for ways to continuously improve our delivery of remote classes.

I wanted to share a link with you so you can follow the messages I send regularly to our faculty and the academic community with the latest information about our plans throughout the term and beyond. This link to my UO web page includes updates on academic continuity and operations; grading options; resources to support student success in remote instruction; and a host of other information you might find useful.

This is a tough time for everyone, and I am sure that, like the university, your family has also faced its own set of unique challenges. I promise you that we will do everything we can to make this year’s academic experience as rich as possible for your student, despite the circumstances.

I wish you the best in this time of uncertainty, and I hope this email finds you and your family safe and out of harm’s way. If you have any questions about academic operations, send a message through our webform. All messages regarding this topic will be routed to my office for a response.

Sincerely,

Patrick Phillips
Provost and Senior Vice President