Dear Colleagues,
I’m writing to share with you the COVID-19 Return to On-Campus Operations Community and Public Engagement Committee report. You can view the full report at this link.
In May, Chancellor Jones charged our committee with creating recommendations for how the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign should continue to prioritize our critical mission of community and public engagement in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. We focused on both current and impending recommendations.
The committee organized our recommendations into four main topics:
- Community Engaged Learning (CEL)
- Decision Options and Guidelines on Community Engaged Learning
- Values Guiding the Development and Operation of CEL Activities
- Types of CEL Activities and Their Centrality to Degree
- Prioritizing Student CEL Activities for Fall Semester
- Health and Safety Expectations for Students, Community Partners, and Organizers
- Guidance for Safely Conducting Events
- Visitor Protocols
- Access and Awareness
- Developing a Framework for Public Engagement and Partnerships
- Reciprocal and Meaningful Public Engagement Collaborations
I sincerely hope you will review the full report and think about how it intersects with your own work. I truly believe the far-reaching and unprecedented challenges brought on by COVID-19 provide a responsibility and opportunity to strengthen our commitment to public engagement efforts.
Sincerely,
Wanda Ward
Executive Associate Chancellor for Administration and University Relations