April 13, 2020
Dear Members of Our Campus Community,
With our spring quarter now well underway, I would like to take this opportunity to thank our students, faculty, and staff for the extraordinary efforts and sacrifices you have made, and for your steadfast commitment to upholding the values and mission of our university. We are absolutely amazed by the adaptability, resilience, and creativity of our UC Santa Barbara community in responding to the abrupt changes we are all being asked to make.
In order to give members of our community as much time as possible to plan for summer instruction at UC Santa Barbara, we have made the decision, in consultation with faculty, students, and staff and with the agreement of our Academic Senate, that all Summer Sessions courses scheduled to begin in June and July (sessions A, C, D, and E) will be delivered by remote instruction.
It is likely that Summer Sessions courses and programs scheduled for August (sessions B, F, and G) will also be delivered remotely, if the State and County orders promoting physical distancing have not been revised. We will continue to consult with our Academic Senate, our health experts, and members of our community, and to work with State and County health officials to make a final determination for August instruction and communicate it to our campus community as soon as possible.
Summer Sessions has posted information about the schedule/calendar and FAQs online, and asked that questions be directed to info@summer.ucsb.edu.
Being part of a campus community like ours naturally includes the opportunity for academic instruction and inquiry, but it also has intangible benefits. Much of our strength as a community comes from the relationships we make, the opportunity we have to learn from our peers, and the support we offer to each other. It is important that even while we are physically apart, we are finding ways to remain connected during these difficult times. While we know there are still challenges ahead and that we must continue to protect our community and those we love by practicing physical distancing, we are uplifted by hope and the prospect of welcoming everyone back to campus when it is safe to do so. We eagerly await the return of our entire community — our students, staff, and faculty — so that we can continue our journey together.
Sincerely,
Henry T. Yang
Chancellor