The following important message is sent on behalf of PAU President Maureen O’Connor

Dear PAU Community,

After careful consideration, and to further support efforts to contain the COVID-19 outbreak, PAU will move ALL classes online beginning tomorrow, Monday, March 9 until the end of the Winter Quarter. There are no known cases of the virus in the PAU community but based on the best information available from public health organizations, we are taking these precautionary measures both to help reduce the spread of COVID-19 and to ease anxiety in our community. While classes will be moving online, all campuses will remain open for business.

The President's Cabinet made this decision in consultation with the Faculty Senate and the Chairs of the Psychology and Counseling Departments. Our Academic Technology support team will work closely with faculty to ease this transition and continue to strive to best serve our students. Additional guidance will be sent shortly to faculty from Vice President for Academic Affairs Risa Dickson.

PAU already offers many courses online and those classes will continue as scheduled. Starting tomorrow, Monday, March 9, no residential classes will be held at Calvin Campus, Los Altos Campus, DeAnza Campus, or at the Stanford Campus. If you are a student and have questions, please contact Dean of Students Thom Shepard.

We recognize that this is a significant adjustment for our community. In addition to this email, we will hold a PAU Town Hall meeting on Monday, March 9 at 5 p.m. Please use this ZOOM link: https://paloaltou.zoom.us/j/316176087 .

GRONOWSKI CLINIC AND PRACTICUM SITES

For now, the Gronowski Clinic remains open, and unless you have had direct communication from your clinical practicum sites, they remain in operation. A separate email will be sent tomorrow (Monday) with more specific guidance on clinical matters. We have consulted with APA and other experts and are working to ensure compliance with all requirements for accreditation.

CAMPUS OPERATIONS

Though all classes will be meeting online, PAU’s Calvin, Los Altos, and DeAnza campuses will remain open. In situations where work can temporarily be performed from home or an alternate location, we encourage employees and managers to work together to identify possible telecommuting opportunities. Some employees are needed physically on campus, of course, as services for our community must continue. We continue to encourage precaution to minimize the possibility of virus spread, including social distancing and frequent handwashing and these guidelines provided by the Centers for Disease Control. Students and employees who are sick or are exhibiting signs of illness are asked to stay home.

All communications to the PAU community, as well as resource information, are posted at https://www.paloaltou.edu/palo-alto-university-coronavirus-resource-page.

We encourage everyone to keep up to date on the disease through the following resources: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, California Department of Public Health and Santa Clara County Public Health.

President Maureen O’Connor