Concordia College New York has published its comprehensive COVID-19 Reopening and Preparedness Plan.
Reflecting months of work on the part the College’s Pandemic Response Task Force and sub-groups, the Plan covers the repopulation of the campus, monitoring of health conditions, containment of potential transmission of the virus, and shut down of in-person operations on campus (if necessitated by widespread COVID-19 transmission) following CDC and New York State Department of Health requirements and recommendations.
Just as Concordia’s plans for academic program delivery are designed for uninterrupted educational progress over a range of potential scenarios, the COVID-19 Reopening and Preparedness Plan recognizes the reality of an evolving health and safety environment, and will continue to be revised and updated as new information becomes available.
Considerations guiding the development of Concordia’s path forward for the 2020-21 academic year included protecting the health and safety of the campus community, maintaining Concordia’s robust intellectual and social experience for students, and aligning action steps with the College’s mission and values.
The Concordia Cares initiative recognizes the intrinsic role that Concordia’s mission and values will play as the community proceeds through this unprecedented time. Last month, the College released its Concordia Cares statement, and Concordia Cares has been integrated into signage across campus.
Today, Concordia releases the Concordia Cares Covenant: a pledge that students, staff and faculty are asked to read and commit to.
Vice President for Academic Affairs Dr. Rachel Eells announced the Concordia Cares Covenant – and committed to the covenant herself – in a video message to students. She said in part, “A covenant is a promise, an agreement, a commitment. In scripture, we read about God’s covenants with his people, and covenants between neighbors. The Concordia Cares Covenant is how we are holding ourselves accountable to one another – how we’ll remind ourselves daily of our commitment to ourselves and our community. I’m committing to our covenant today, and I hope you will too.”