To: OSU faculty and staff
From: Edward Feser, Provost and Executive Vice President
Dan Larson, Vice Provost for Student Affairs, OSU Coronavirus Response Coordinator
June 17, 2021
Dear Faculty and Staff,
We write to inform you of changes in how the university is responding to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Early in the crisis, the university established a Continuity Management Team (CMT) of over 25 members representing academic and operational areas of Oregon State University, including the Faculty Senate. Guided by values centered on health, safety, transparency, shared governance, and broad consultation, the CMT helped develop immediate operational guidance, plans, and policies that facilitated the continued high-quality delivery of OSU’s mission under complex and rapidly changing conditions.
Sub-groups and committees under or adjacent to the CMT also contributed. Especially important among those was the Culture of Care Work Group comprising representatives of the Faculty Senate, employee bargaining units and student leaders. Almost every operational area of the CMT was aided by other groups and committees that provided feedback and advice. We are sincerely grateful to the hundreds of faculty members, staff, and students who contributed to this effort over the last 15 months. They have been critical to OSU’s success in navigating the pandemic.
With the development of OSU’s Pathway to Fall plan, and with the significant ongoing improvements in public health conditions, we are well on our way to fully resuming on-site and in-person operations. As such, we are transitioning from an emphasis on operational planning to monitoring the return process. As part of this shift, we are sunsetting the CMT and replacing it with a smaller group—the Pathway Steering Team (PST) —comprised of representatives of major domains and functions across the university. The Pathway Steering Team will be led by Vice Provost Dan Larson, who will continue serving as OSU’s Coronavirus Response Coordinator at least through the fall term.
We will continue to engage stakeholders on plans, policies, and guidance as appropriate, including the Faculty Senate, academic and administrative leaders, employee unions, and student leadership. Our prioritization of shared governance, transparency and regular communications will continue.
We offer our sincere thanks to all members of the CMT for their steady and dedicated leadership through an incredibly challenging time. And we thank all those who contributed on various sub-committees and associated work groups. While this pandemic is not behind us, we should be proud of what we have accomplished collectively to protect the health and safety of employees, students, and the communities in which we operate and serve.
Sincerely,
Edward Feser
Provost and Executive Vice President
Dan Larson
Vice Provost for Student Affairs
OSU Coronavirus Response Coordinator