Helping Our Students
MICHAEL K. YOUNGPresident
March 26, 2020
Howdy Ags,
As loyal members of the Texas A&M community, I wanted you to have the latest information about our response to the coronavirus situation, which you can find in great detail at the Central TAMU COVID-19 site.
Our highest priority is the health and safety of our students, faculty and staff – just as your highest priority is the wellbeing of your families and friends. At the same time, we are always dedicated to providing the very best educational opportunities under even the most challenging circumstances. To this end, our faculty and staff have made impressive efforts to quickly bring every one of our classes and all of our support services online, helping us protect every member of our academic community while providing the highest quality education we possibly can. If you’re interested in learning more, we’ve created a superb TAMU Keep Learning website to ensure our students’ continued success.
In light of our capacity to support their education wherever they are located, many of our students have chosen to return home. We have a number of students for whom campus is their primary residence, and others who have chosen to remain on campus because that is the best alternative for their families and their education. To accommodate and support the continued success of those students, we are keeping our campuses and dorms open while taking extensive measures to ensure everyone’s safety, providing monitors for some buildings to promote social distancing and enhanced procedures to promote public health at all of our facilities. Our Student Health Services remain open and actively engaged.
Those on campus will still have essential services such as grab-and-go dining, ATM access and bus transportation with social distancing. If you have questions about which areas of campus are open or operational, we again refer you to the TAMU Keep Learning site, which can provide you with the most up-to-date information.
Like many of you, we’re deeply disappointed that this historic global pandemic has caused us to adjust certain cherished traditions that mean so much to so many Aggies. But I want to assure you that Muster in College Station and graduation ceremonies in May will still happen, just in a different way. We encourage students and families to celebrate with us virtually, keeping the Aggie spirit strong and connected, even as we are separated by distance. For those who do not have an opportunity to participate in graduation ceremonies in May, we are searching for ways to expand our in-person events in August
Our university enjoys one of the strongest networks in the world, and I know the economic pressures many of you face are real. To that end, I want to thank the dedicated leaders and teams at The Association of Former Students, The 12th Man Foundation, and The Texas A&M Foundation for always answering the call when we need them.
Finally, because people like you always have a heart to serve and a desire to take care of other Aggies, many of you have contacted me asking how you can help during this difficult time. At the moment, our biggest need is support for our students whose lives have been dramatically disrupted by this unprecedented pandemic. Many face a number of unexpected expenses. Our goal is to help ensure that they can finish their classes, graduate on time, and move to serve our state, our nation and the world.
We have now created a relief fund for our students administered by the university. If you’ve been looking for an opportunity to show your support, we would be delighted if you would donate to our student relief fund, which you can find here.
During this unprecedented moment, thank you for your steadfast dedication and devotion to Texas A&M. All of us are deeply grateful for your passion for our university and for your compassion for our students.
Sincerely,
Michael K. Young
President