April 17: Update From the President

Dear Colleagues:

As I write to you today, there are two weeks remaining of undergraduate classes and three weeks until the conclusion of the spring semester. Undoubtedly, this has been a semester unlike any other, so impacted by COVID-19. Yet, despite the challenges and disruptions – or maybe partially because of them – you have stepped forward to serve our students and each other. Thank you!

In early March, we transitioned from our normal operations and on-ground academic delivery and engagement to virtual, online, and remote teaching, learning, and working. I am hearing from multiple sources about how well this has gone, all things considered, and that we were better prepared than many others to make this pivot. This only happens through a team effort, effective planning, creativity, shared commitment, and prior adoption and utilization of the right technologies and forward-thinking pedagogies. It is not in our community ethos to boast about ourselves, and we sometimes underappreciate our successes. We do not claim perfection, but please take pride in what you have done and accomplished. I know I do.

We all have questions and concerns about the future. Apart from our personal and public health concerns, the economic and social uncertainty associated with the pandemic are among the biggest challenges the world, our country, higher education, and we all face together. The following information is intended to address information that we know today. We will continue to update you when we have additional or new information to share.

Summer Activities

Guidance from state and federal officials has made it clear that normal summer activities on campus cannot take place as intended. Courses for the summer sessions beginning in May have already been announced as taking place online. Decisions about the orientation sessions for incoming first-year students and parents will be announced soon. Several camps have been cancelled or shifted to online programming.

Normally by this time of the year, we have announced the summer hours program available for staff. We have delayed doing so not out of any desire to create further uncertainty for you, but rather, because we simply do not yet know enough about what the return-to-work timelines, plans, and protocols will be. Our top priority will be preparing for the start of the next academic year, and we appreciate your understanding and flexibility. I assure you that we will be as understanding and supportive as we can be for each other.

Financial Considerations

This week, students were notified that reimbursements for room, board, and select fees have been determined, with credits to accounts followed by direct deposits or mailed checks taking place in the next week. These reimbursements represent about 50% of the related charges and total $9.1M.

Saint Joseph’s has sufficient financial reserves to withstand these unanticipated reimbursements and the loss of revenue from other University activities and events this semester. However, our finances – like those of all other universities and most industries – are strained. Over the past few weeks we have also taken prudent and necessary steps to reduce expenses. These include:

  • A hiring freeze, except for essential positions;
  • Limiting the purchase of goods and services to what is essential and restricting new financial commitments;
  • Requiring that approval for all spending be done at the level of the dean or area vice president; and
  • Deferring capital projects and purchases except for those already in progress or essential for strategic, life-safety, or functionality reasons.

We are currently preparing a number of scenarios for the upcoming fiscal year to help ensure we have the capacity to respond to the continued effects of the pandemic and economic impacts on enrollment, staffing needs, academic delivery, student activities, philanthropic support, and endowment value. Whenever possible, we will engage groups such as the Planning & Budgeting Committee and faculty and staff advisory committees on compensation.  

I would be remiss if I did not take a moment to recognize two initiatives this past year which have proven prescient. The voluntary separation program (VSP) for eligible faculty and staff has enabled several employees to make proactive choices about their personal and professional lives while also providing the University flexibility at a time when it will now be needed most. Additionally, in February, the University completed a comprehensive refunding and reissuance of all outstanding debt, saving substantial costs both annually and long-term. Kudos to all involved.

Federal Legislation

Saint Joseph’s will receive some funding as part of the CARES Act. Preliminary guidance has been issued by the Department of Education for what is referred to as the student aid portion of the funding. However, it will take some time before we can fully understand, receive, and distribute these funds. No guidance or timeline has been issued yet for the institutional portion of the funding. While grateful for the federal support, it is important to keep this in context. The total amount we may be able to receive is approximately $2.8M, which is minimal in relation to the financial impact on the University.

There may be additional federal legislation to come, and we will advocate with other higher education institutions and associations for additional support. I serve on the boards of directors of the American Council on Education (ACE), Association of Independent Colleges and Universities (AICUP), and Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities (AJCU). I am particularly grateful for these networks and other associations such as the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities (NAICU) whose government relations functions are invaluable at this time.

Conclusion

While we continue to deal with the uncertainty caused by COVID-19, we must also lift our gaze from the immediate so that we are appropriately monitoring the conditions and changes in American higher education in order to adapt appropriately to new opportunities and challenges. Our strategic plan is more relevant and applicable now than ever. Developing new academic programs, providing the best overall student experience possible, making a distinctive impact on our community, marshalling the resources to sustain and grow the University into the future, fostering an even more inclusive community, and deepening our commitment to our Jesuit mission remain our top priorities and will continue to drive our decisions and actions.  

In responding to COVID-19, I am so impressed by the resilience, generosity, imagination, and determination I see and hear about from you. We will get through this, together, by supporting one another and our shared mission as a Jesuit university. Saint Joseph’s has weathered many challenges since 1851, and I am confident this will happen again. Thank you for all that you are doing.

 

Sincerely,

Signuature of Mark C. Reed, Ed.D., President of Saint Joseph's Univeristy

Mark C. Reed, Ed.D.
President