Dean's Message: Returning to Campus

The beginning of the new academic year usually evokes feelings of promise, enthusiasm, and renewal. However, for the second consecutive year, we start the Fall semester under circumstances that are difficult, uncertain, and uneasy. Two months ago, our prospects for the Fall semester were good; with the arrival of vaccines and through numerous mitigative measures, we appeared to have suppressed COVID-19 to levels that would allow for a “normal” school year. However, in keeping with the basic principles of evolution, a new COVID variant has emerged and now predominates nationally.

I have received or seen communications from many members of the university community that express substantial stress and concern as students return to campus and as in-person teaching resumes. The situation represents a perfect storm for institutions of learning at all levels, where we are now deeply challenged to balance our mission of providing meaningful educational opportunities with the desire to minimize health risk. There is no perfect solution to the current state of affairs.

Along with other universities across the nation, KU has struggled to address this challenge. Some institutions have enjoyed far more latitude in enacting mitigation measures; others have encountered more severe constraints. The Kansas state legislature has prohibited a vaccine mandate; I have communicated with faculty at other institutions in Texas, Georgia, and Iowa where even mask mandates are prohibited. Simply put, KU is left to work with the limited tools it has at its disposal to manage risks and make campus as safe as possible, while avoiding the severe fiscal consequences of closing down or minimizing on-campus presence. Even then, KU can only control what happens on campus, and it is difficult to manage a pandemic by appealing to students to limit their contacts and get vaccinated without the full complement of carrots and sticks available at other campuses. It has been some source of comfort to me that, at least to date, KU has been successful in substantially reducing risk to university personnel on campus.

Through all of this, I remain impressed by the dedication of our faculty to the mission of the university, to our students, and to the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences. We are also grateful for the good faith discussions and considerations we have encountered as critical decisions about pedagogy and logistics in these difficult times have been made. All these have made it possible for us here at the College to advocate for the best interests of our faculty, staff, and students. I remain hopeful that we can achieve effective and cooperative solutions to the acute challenges we face, and that we can successfully protect and sustain our mission of promoting critical thinking, rational thought, and evidence-based inquiry.

John Colombo
Interim Dean & Professor of Psychology