CAMPUS HEALTH
In response to the coravirus (COVID-19) pandemic, Madonna University is continuously monitoring the evolving situation in relation to all University-related activities, and continues to follow state and CDC guidelines. The health and safety of our students, staff, faculty, and all in the campus community remains our top priority. Work groups have been formed and are developing plans to safely deliver class instruction on campus in the fall. We will continue to communicate regularly with the campus community through email and this webpage regarding this developing situation.
Madonna University has activated a Task Force in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, and it is continuously monitoring the evolving situation in relation to all University-related activities. The health and safety of our students, staff, faculty, and all in the campus community remains our top priority. We will communicate regularly with the campus community through email and this webpage regarding this developing situation.
Dear Madonna University Community,
While the pandemic has changed the way we live and learn at Madonna University, it will not change the character of our faith-based mission, our culture of personally-delivered education, or our role of service to society.
Madonna will remain a vibrant, dynamic, and diverse place. In a post-pandemic world American higher education will more than likely require new economic models to sustain it. The institutions, like Madonna, that understand how educators and learners cross the limitations of the tangible and digital, will use this time of disruption for innovation.
Our students are blessed with a faculty and staff who are genuinely concerned about their success. And during these tough times, we all have been plunged into reimaging, from afar, what community and learning look like. While everyone is working hard to get it right, I understand that students may still have concerns or issues they have been unable to resolve.
I invite students who may have a question or concern to contact my office directly at president@madonna.edu. Please provide your phone number as well, so that I can communicate in the best manner possible to address your issue. I look forward to hearing from you.
I have also approved a prorated refund credit to residential students of the room and board costs for the period after they vacated the residence hall. Students left at varying times, and some students had to remain for special circumstances. The date each student moved out and the student’s financial aid package will determine the credit they receive. Residential students will be notified of their credits as soon as possible. I appreciate your patience as it may take some time for staff to process each credit individually.
We are lifted up by our more than 50,000 alumni, friends, and religious around the world who support us and send us their prayers. And I can tell you this: Madonna community members, especially alumni nurses, police officers; first responders, social workers, doctors, researchers, teachers, volunteers, and community activists, are doing everything they can in this fight against the virus. Even our nursing faculty members work in COVID-19 units on weekends.
These heroic Crusaders embody the Madonna spirit and inspire generosity and commitment.
As I’ve said before, the decision to close the campus pained me deeply. However, the stories of suffering from this virus that I have learned from reaching out to members of the Madonna family will never leave me.
We have lost relatives and friends, but we must not lose our faith or our hope. I am happy to report that the part-time employee who was COVID-19 positive has fully recovered, and I’m sure there are other stories like his.
We long to return to the way things were. Madonna’s dedicated administrative leaders and I are working hard to ready the campus to reopen in the fall. Safety will guide our responsible return to on-ground delivery of classes.
I am confident that we have the vision, creativity, and passion to adapt to the post-pandemic challenges with innovative teaching and learning pedagogies.
As a historian of the Renaissance, I know disruption births opportunity. Amid our coronavirus pain, let us find the veiled gifts that struggle begets – strength, community, compassion, and new and better models for learning and serving one another.
Please take care of yourself and those you love.
God bless you and God bless Madonna,
Michael A. Grandillo, Ph.D.
President
Dear Madonna University Community,
I hope this message finds you, and those you love, safe and in good health. Please keep in your prayers those who have lost loved ones to the coronavirus, as well as those who are receiving or who are in need of care.
During this unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic, we’ve seen frequent updates, and directives provided by federal, state, and local government officials. These include maintaining social distancing through April 30; the Governor’s order, issued yesterday, expanding the State of Emergency and Disaster Declaration; and employees staying away from campus unless designated as critical infrastructure workers. We also have instituted a COVID-19 health screening protocol for employees, as required by the Wayne County Health Department.
I have been monitoring this rapidly-changing situation and decided to extend the University’s online-only instruction through the 2020 Summer Semester. It distresses me, our professors, and our staff, not to have students on campus for classes and other activities. Students are why we chose to work at Madonna, and they are why we find such delight in our vocations.
I’m informing the campus community of this decision now so that we can build on the successes of this semester and continue to efficiently and effectively deliver to our students online learning of the highest quality.
Students can register now for Summer and Fall Semester courses on MYPortal.
Earlier this week, the University was notified that a male, part-time employee had tested positive for the COVID-19 virus. The employee has not been on campus since March 7, and he has not had contact with any other employee or student. Please pray for his full recovery. The 14-day waiting period for this case is now over, and no other cases have been reported, but I am informing you today in an abundance of caution.
It would be misleading if I told you that we have all the answers, as these continue to be tough times, with new challenges at every turn. I promise, though, that we will be thoughtful in our decisions as we keep the health and safety of our campus community as a top priority. To that end, our Residence Life staff is working to encourage the remaining 60+ students still in the residence halls to move out, and we will work to provide housing for the few students who have nowhere to go.
I am so impressed by the many alumni and friends who have reached out to assist us in this crisis. Their support is much appreciated as we continue to meet our financial obligations. In addition to the hope and encouragement given to us by our beloved benefactors, your connections with each other can provide the positivity that is so important at this time.
Prospective students continue to contact us and applications are being processed to ensure their plans to attend Madonna are not disrupted. Staff members in our undergraduate and graduate enrollment offices are actively recruiting next year’s class in a virtual manner. Our advancement team is working hard to meet their fundraising goals. These activities are vital to our financial viability and I appreciate everyone’s efforts.
I close with a special note of gratitude to all of you. Your nimbleness in adjusting to working and learning online, your creativity in addressing new challenges, and your willingness to sacrifice for the good of the Madonna Community are highly commendable, and greatly appreciated. Thank you hardly seems adequate for the tireless work our faculty and staff have put forth to keep Madonna moving forward. Your innovative problem solving, and Franciscan spirit of caring and compassion have helped us keep our Madonna family members safe, while we continue fulfilling our mission. I am so proud of everyone.
Please continue to watch this webpage for updates.
Students, faculty, and staff can expect to get more information via email, as well as additional support for online resources on MYPortal.
Keep up the great work, as we keep the flame of Madonna University burning brightly.
God Bless you and God Bless Madonna,
Michael A. Grandillo, Ph.D.
President
In this moment of great uncertainty, I take comfort in knowing that we can rely on the Felician Franciscan values of care for one another, respect for all individuals, and commitment to do what is best for our society.
This public health emergency has required colleges and universities to take exceptional measures. Based on the guidance of public health officials, higher education associations, and our dedicated Madonna Campus Health Task Force, we have made a series of operational adjustments to help keep the Madonna community safe and to mitigate the spread of COVID-19.
The recent increased restrictions announced for public gatherings have caused us to make the following important decisions:
On-line instruction has been extended through the remainder of the Winter semester. Please know that it distresses all of us not to have students on campus for classes. Students are why we chose to work at Madonna, and why we take such delight in our vocations.
Graduation Mass and Commencement have been postponed, as have other senior milestone events. This is a very sad result of the Coronavirus outbreak. I know how much celebrating commencement means to all of us, and you have our commitment, that we will celebrate our graduates’ accomplishments as soon as a convocation of our magnitude is permitted to take place in the State of Michigan.
The residence halls remain open for students who cannot return home, however, no outside visitors will be permitted.
At the beginning of this crisis, employees who could work from home were encouraged to do so, rather than come to campus. We will continue this until further notice. That means we have asked a limited staff of employees to continue to come to campus to keep certain essential functions operating, and they have all been doing a phenomenal job.
Prospective students continue to contact us to ensure their plans to attend Madonna are not disrupted. As a result, undergraduate and graduate enrollment offices are actively recruiting next year’s class in a virtual manner. Our advancement staff is working hard to meet their fundraising goals. These areas are critical to our financial viability and I appreciate their work.
We are thankful to our many alumni and friends who have reached out to assist us in this crisis. Their support is evident and much appreciated as we continue to meet our financial obligations during this crisis. In addition to the hope and encouragement given to us by our beloved stakeholders, your connections with each other can provide the positivity that is so important at this time.
People in the United States have a history of collective action and toughness during demanding times.
America, the Felician Sisters, and the Madonna community have always overcome serious challenges to serve mankind and advance Our Lord’s message of faith, hope, and love. Faith and personal prayer lift us up. With thankfulness for unanticipated and yet unseen signs of grace, we will prevail.
It would be misleading if I told you we have all the answers, as these are tough times, and this is uncharted territory. We promise, though, that we will be thoughtful in our decisions as we keep the health and safety of our community as a top priority, while we work to be true to the values and identity of Madonna University.
I close with a special note of gratitude to the entire Madonna Community, especially the faculty, staff, and student employees. Your nimbleness and willingness to sacrifice for the good of the Madonna Community and the greater common good are highly commendable. Our Campus Health Task Force, communications and IT teams, facilities, custodial, and residence hall teams have worked tirelessly. I know and recognize the unprecedented nature of this crisis. I am extremely thankful to those who simply found ways to pitch in to keep our Madonna Community safe and to enable us to continue fulfilling our mission.
Please continue to watch this website and your email for updates.
We still have no confirmed cases of the virus on our campus. Our highest priority
is to keep our students, staff, and faculty safe and healthy. National and statewide
recommendations regarding coronavirus (COVID-19) are continually being revised. While
the CDC updated its recommendation that gatherings be limited to 50 persons or less
and the White House recommends that gatherings be limited to 10 persons or less, we
have limited gatherings on campus to 10 people or less.
Madonna University continues to follow the guidelines of the Michigan Department of
Health and Human Services (MDHHS) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
(CDC) which also are being updated frequently.
In an effort to minimize risk, and to support our campus community, Madonna University
has:
As a reminder, the best way to keep updated on the COVID-19 situation and Madonna University’s response is through this web page and email.
From the Office of the President
Michael A. Grandillo, Ph.D.
Update: Saturday, March 14, 2020, 5:15 p.m. (Date Correction: Sunday, March 15, 2020, 8:15 a.m.)
In an abundance of caution for the safety of our students, faculty, and staff, all on-campus activities and on-campus work at Madonna University are being suspended until Monday, March 23, 2020, except that of essential personnel and the activities that support the residential students who are unable to return home.
As was announced earlier, starting on Monday, March 16, we are moving to the online delivery of classes via Blackboard (Bb).
This will permit the University to evaluate the rapidly-changing conditions of the COVID-19 pandemic, and to assess the University’s ability to offer all courses in an online mode, including the clinical placements in the College of Nursing and Health. On March 23, or sooner if conditions permit, we will decide how to proceed and communicate that information to the campus community.
Questions related to essential personnel should be directed to your vice president
or human resources via email.
Please continue to monitor this web page for updates.
This message provides you an update on the actions we are taking in response to the Novel Coronavirus, (COVID-19).
Campus Health Task Force
The Campus Health Task Force is meeting daily to monitor the COVID-19 pandemic. They have strong input across all campus constituencies and will enact or adjust policies and actions as necessary.
Yesterday, all independent college presidents met with Governor Whitmer, via conference call. She issued guidelines for higher education institutions, which can be found on page four of her State of Michigan guidelines on our website here. We will follow the Governor’s guidelines. We also will work directly with the Michigan Department of Public Health as the agency of fact in Michigan and with the Wayne County Department of Health on a day-to-day basis for local updates and counsel.
It is important to note there are no confirmed cases of COVID-19 on campus, however, according to the City of Livonia, one COVID-19 case has been confirmed, a middle-aged male resident of Livonia, who is being treated at the University of Michigan hospital in Ann Arbor.
Online Delivery of Classes
Starting on Monday, March 16, we are moving to the online delivery of classes via Blackboard (Bb), until April 13. Given the fluctuating nature of how COVID-19 is impacting Michigan and its communities, this time frame may be adjusted. Any adjustments will be communicated as needed. Faculty will send their class rosters an email to let the students know how the course will be meeting in the future. Students engaging in clinical placements, internships, and experiential outplacements should work with their faculty member and follow the protocols of the facility.
Campus is Open
The campus will remain open. Employees who wish/need to work from home or telecommute are encouraged to do so, and should work this out with their supervisor.
Our residence halls will remain open and all student services will be available, including the library.
Our food service provider, Sodexo, is actively monitoring the situation and is implementing many safety measures, which are in concert with the Governor’s request.
We have taken the following actions to comply with state and federal guidelines:
To reduce the risk of COVID-19 please comply with the following:
This web site will continue to be the source for information and updates, and MYPortal as necessary. We also will provide updates via email and through our social media channels.
Thank you for your help in keeping our Madonna community safe.
The health, welfare, and safety of students, faculty, staff, and visitors are top priorities for the University. Madonna University’s campus health task force continues to monitor the Novel Coronovirus 2019 (COVID-19) situation and to review updates and recommendations from the scientific, medical, and governmental communities. The task force will make adjustments to operations as necessary.
As conditions warrant, the University will provide updates to students, faculty, and staff, through appropriate communication methods, including notifications of impacts on University operations. It is important to note that we are not aware of any cases of COVID-19 on campus or in our University community.
Following the guidelines from the state of Michigan, Centers for Disease Control, and international and travel partners, all Madonna University Study Abroad Programs for May and June of 2020 have been canceled. If students have any questions or concerns, please contact our office at studybroad@madonna.edu / 734-432-5669.
Check this website for Madonna updates, and subscribe to Madonna’s emergency alert system to receive an alert in the event of a University emergency or school closure.
Please refer to the other COVID-19 resources listed on the left-hand side of this page
We are lifted up by our more than 50,000 alumni, friends, and religious around the
world who support us and send us their prayers. And I can tell you this: Madonna community
members, especially alumni nurses, police officers; first responders, social workers,
doctors, researchers, teachers, volunteers, and community activists, are doing everything
they can in this fight against the virus. Even our nursing faculty members work in
COVID-19 units on weekends.
These heroic Crusaders embody the Madonna spirit and inspire generosity and commitment.
Online resources are available on the Portal for students under the Students tab, and faculty under the Faculty tab. Visit MY Portal for details.
Online tools and resources are available on the Portal for employees under the Employee Help tab. Visit MY Portal for details.
