The members of the Board of Governors are unanimous in joining with President M. Roy Wilson in expressing our appreciation for the collaborative efforts of the faculty, staff, administration and students during this time of rapid change and uncertainty. Extreme challenges, like that of the coronavirus pandemic, can be paralyzing, or they can bring out the best in our will and character, individually and collectively. We commend the entire campus community for its swift and decisive actions to ensure the health and safety of everyone in the Wayne State family. It’s a perfect example of the Warrior spirit on display.

The coronavirus pandemic has gripped our attention, and the attention of people and institutions across the globe. Wayne State is a public, urban research university serving nearly 27,000 students and employing thousands more employees and faculty, but our highest priority is the safety of our campus community. To that end members of the faculty and administration have been developing plans and taking steps to maintain the continuity of our academic mission while mitigating the risk of the spread of coronavirus. In just a few short days and weeks, much has changed in the world and in higher education, and the university has had to make a number of difficult decisions that will have significant impact on students, faculty and staff.

New methods of instruction are being implemented rapidly, and will undoubtedly result in many challenges, some of which we cannot foresee. Important events have been or are being canceled. Student activities are being limited, and new processes are being promulgated to mitigate health risk and provide maximum flexibility for those who may be vulnerable. None of these changes has been easy, and changes to come will bring new challenges, but we believe they are in the best interests of serving our academic, research and community missions, both now and into the future.