Letter from President Wiewel, March 19

Dear Lewis & Clark Community,

I begin with a message of gratitude: Thank you for your support and patience as we navigate uncertainty. While endeavoring to keep everyone as safe as possible and stay true to our educational mission, we are moving with both speed and prudence. I am encouraged knowing that we are all working together to take care of our students, our campus, our loved ones, and our communities. Thank you to each of you for your dedication to Lewis & Clark.

Federal, state, and local guidance, including an executive order today from Oregon Governor Kate Brown JD ’85, strictly circumscribes what we are able to do in person and suggests how differently we must teach, learn, and work for the foreseeable future.

We are not closed, of course, but because of the public health need for social distancing, we are conducting business in very different ways than we are accustomed. Face-to-face instruction, except for in health care-related clinical settings, is now prohibited by the governor’s order. And any Lewis & Clark employee who can do so is being instructed to work from home. Until further notice, almost all Lewis & Clark events and travel are canceled, postponed, or being accomplished online instead.

Below is important information, some of which you already know and some of which is very new. We are updating it as often as possible. Please also follow public health guidelines to protect yourself and others, including our Isolation and Quarantine Plan for those with symptoms of illness.

I know we all seek a return to normal operations—or whatever a new normal might look like. In the meantime, we must look to each other as we face the great challenges ahead.

Sincerely,

Wim Wiewel

President