Post-Major Disruption: Guiding Principles for Deans and Department Chairs:

The University’s first priority following a major disruption is the safety of students, employees, and visitors. Once safety has been ensured, attention will shift to resuming instructional and academic operations as quickly and effectively as possible.

  • Central Decision-Making Authority. Following a disaster, the President (or designee) will evaluate options for resuming or suspending operations using the considerations outlined in the Post–Major Disruption Decision Process and Post–Disruption Academic Calendar, and will make high-level operational decisions. The Provost will be responsible for implementing these decisions as they pertain to instructional activities.
    • In circumstances where a designated administrative leader is unable to serve, authority may be delegated in accordance with pre-established succession plans (e.g., from Dean to Associate Dean). Additionally, in post-disaster conditions, authorities that are normally delegated—such as classroom assignments—may be temporarily assumed by the President or Provost
  • Classroom Space Allocation. After a disaster, the President (or designee) will assume central authority over all instructional spaces, including those traditionally managed by academic departments or other units. This centralized approach is intended to ensure equitable distribution of limited classroom resources and to prevent disproportionate impacts on individual departments or programs due to localized damage. 
    The Division of Academic Affairs will direct Enrollment Services to reassign available instructional spaces to high-priority courses by college for the affected term.
  • Facilities and Instructional Constraints. The resumption of in-person instruction will be constrained by the availability and condition of facilities and faculty. Physical Planning and Facilities Management will identify usable instructional spaces and provide this information to the Provost’s Office. The Provost’s Office will assign instructional space based on programmatic need, seating capacity for lecture courses, and appropriate equipment for laboratory courses. Once priority courses are confirmed, the Provost’s Office will instruct Enrollment Services to finalize space assignments.
  • Faculty Availability and Leaves. Faculty on sabbatical or teaching leave may be contacted by their Department Chair to cover for faculty who are unavailable due to disaster-related circumstances. Faculty recalled to service under these circumstances will be granted equivalent leave as soon as practicable following the resumption of normal operations.
  • Communication Plan. Enrollment Services will notify students of any changes to instructional locations or facilities, while Deans’ offices will communicate such changes to faculty. To ensure continuity of access and support, faculty office hours may be transitioned to an online format as needed. Faculty and staff will conduct virtual office hours using platforms such as Zoom or Microsoft Teams during their regularly scheduled times or as otherwise communicated. Updates and relevant information will be disseminated through email and other official University communication channels to support a smooth transition

Upon resuming operations, the Department will serve students according to its established scheduling priorities, with particular emphasis on supporting timely degree completion. In general, state-supported (general fund) courses will be prioritized over self-support programs, as outlined below: 

  1. Fall and Spring Semesters. Priority will be given first to upper-division courses required for graduation, followed by bottleneck courses, and then lower-division courses with high demand and fill rates.
  2. Summer Sessions
  3. Self-support Winter Session and May Intersession.

Facilities and faculty resources will be allocated in alignment with these scheduling priorities. In circumstances where facilities or faculty availability is severely constrained, in-person instruction may be limited or temporarily restricted. 

Academic Affairs, in coordination with the Colleges, should establish procedures to review individual student cases when students are unable to graduate as planned, despite efforts to minimize delays to degree completion. These procedures should include processes for making limited exceptions to course offerings, substitutions, or sequencing when warranted by the circumstances of a major disruption. 

Clear communication protocols should be established to ensure that Academic Advising, the Bickerstaff Center, College advising offices, and Graduate Advisors are promptly notified of any approved course changes or substitutions. In addition, Deans’ offices should develop contingency plans for supervising off-campus, field-based, and TBA (to-be-arranged) courses and should provide timely information to the Provost’s Office regarding faculty availability for instruction. 

Depending on the timing, duration, and nature of a critical incident, students may be eligible for one or more of the following continuity accommodations, subject to applicable policies and resource availability:

  • Continue coursework through alternative instructional modalities, including synchronous or asynchronous online instruction;
  • Receive the current course grade at the time of the disruption without completion of a final examination or remaining coursework, when such requirements are not feasible;
  • Maintain eligibility to return to campus if unable to continue studies due to event-related illness or injury, inability to access campus, or the illness, injury, or death of an immediate family member;
  • Request a medical or emergency leave of absence through an alternative process, with modified documentation requirements when standard documentation cannot reasonably be obtained;
  • Repeat courses without academic penalty when course completion was disrupted by the event;
  • Receive an incomplete grade or withdraw from a course even if immediate notification to the University is not possible;
  • Receive priority registration for courses that were dropped or partially completed due to the disruption;
  • Enroll in co-requisite lecture and laboratory components separately, with priority registration for the required co-requisite section;
  • Retain athletic eligibility when unable to complete required unit loads due to the disruption, subject to applicable athletic and conference regulations;
  • Apply tuition and fee payments from an interrupted term to a subsequent or abbreviated term, in lieu of a refund, consistent with University policy.

During the post-disruption period, Faculty Affairs should establish and communicate a defined timeframe and set of circumstances under which the tenure clock for tenure-track faculty may be paused. Faculty Affairs, in coordination with College Deans and Department Chairs, should also provide alternative mechanisms for requesting and approving faculty absences, including processes that can be completed via phone, email, or other remote communication channels. 

Decisions may also be required regarding faculty compensation and workload adjustments in cases of event-related illness, injury, or unavailability, as well as in situations involving the illness, injury, or death of a faculty member or an immediate family member. Special consideration may be necessary for new or probationary faculty with limited accrued leave, as well as for faculty who assume additional instructional or service responsibilities to cover courses or duties during the absence of colleagues.