To the University of Miami Community:

The impact COVID-19 has had and will continue to have on our community—and the global economy—is unprecedented. Yet, even in the face of such disruption, we are fulfilling our mission of teaching, research, innovation, and service.

We should all be encouraged by the fact that this week our students were able to return to class fully online, thanks to the extraordinary efforts and teamwork of faculty and staff. Beyond adapting to a new reality for teaching and learning, our mission as a comprehensive research university with an academic health system compels us to play three important roles in the face of COVID-19.

Our first role is to care for our own community. With nearly 18,000 students and approximately 17,000 employees, we are responsible for prioritizing the health and safety of 35,000 people and their loved ones.

Our second role, carried out by the academic health system, is to provide health care to our surrounding community. We know our colleagues at UHealth are feeling the pressure acutely, as the number of confirmed cases continues to rise.

Our third role is as researchers, with involvement on the front lines of both care and innovation. As we speak, our scientists are hard at work developing the tools necessary to beat this pandemic, from diagnostics to drugs to vaccines.

During an event like this one, no news is not seen as good news. Quite the opposite—the absence of information feeds fear. We know you have questions and we want to answer them.

As we carry out our mission and embrace each of our roles, I am delighted to announce that next Tuesday and Wednesday, we will hold a series of virtual town hall meetings with the University community.

The University’s dedicated COVID-19 site, which can be found at coronavirus.miami.edu, is updated constantly and will continue to serve as the most up-to-date source of information regarding the University’s comprehensive response to the pandemic. Information specific to our medical community can be found at http://my.med.miami.edu.

Details on how to participate in our virtual town hall meetings will follow, including how you can submit questions you want us to address. We look forward to a candid and productive conversation.

Until then, stay safe and continue to do your part as we help our community through these challenging times.

We are one U.