Statement of President Thomas S. Hibbs on Fall 2020 Semester
Date Published: Wednesday, May 6, 2020
Dear Students and Parents,
As you know, we have taken unprecedented measures this spring to respond to the threat
of the COVID-19 pandemic. I am deeply grateful for the gracious, flexible and collaborative
way in which staff, faculty and students have adjusted to rapidly changing circumstances.
We remain in a period of uncertainty. In consultation with the COVID-19 task force,
we have been examining and preparing for a variety of scenarios for the fall. I am pleased to announce that the University of Dallas plans to reopen for residential
academic classes in fall 2020, both in Irving and in Rome. I have instructed all UD personnel to prepare for this plan while keeping the safety
of our students, faculty and staff foremost in our minds. We are prepared to adapt
instructional and residential models to protect the safety and health of our entire
community.
It is my sincere hope that after this period of separation, we have a deeper appreciation
of the inherent goods of UD’s Catholic liberal arts education — of the way it binds
us to a love of the wisdom and beauty of our tradition and prepares us with resilience
and hope for the uncertainties of the future. I look forward to seeing UD students
on campus in a few short months.
Thomas S. Hibbs, Ph.D., BA ‘82, MA ‘83
President
