Friday, Feb 28, 2020
A letter from President Dell'Omo
Dear Rider Community,
The University continues to closely monitor the evolving worldwide outbreak of the coronavirus (COVID-19). The situation is changing quickly. Because the health and safety of each member of our community are of the utmost importance, we want to keep you informed about the virus and any impact it may have on our campuses.
We are working with public health officials and monitoring guidelines and recommendations from public health organizations including the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the U.S. Department of State and New Jersey Department of Health.
We are also in close contact with the University’s study abroad program partners across the world to inform our response to potential disruptions for current and upcoming programs. Rider has already suspended all outbound University-sponsored travel to mainland China for students, faculty and staff until further notice, based on the guidelines of the U.S. Department of State. We will let you know if that changes or if travel elsewhere must also be suspended. Right now, that is not the case.
No other changes have been made to current or upcoming study abroad programs. They are proceeding as planned. However, the University is prepared to take action, including the cancelation or rerouting of existing study abroad programs, as the situation changes, new information becomes available and guidelines evolve.
Rider's Center for International Education (CIE) will continue to offer care and support to students whose study abroad plans may be affected by coronavirus. CIE is located in Bart Luedeke Center 124 and can be reached at 609-896-7717.
With spring break approaching, we strongly encourage students, faculty and staff to heed official travel warnings and guidelines of reputable international and federal agencies, including the CDC, the U.S. State Department and the World Health Organization, and follow official recommendations for the prevention and treatment of illness.
In the meantime, we will continue Rider’s preparations and planning and will keep you informed about any impacts of coronavirus on our operations. We encourage you to visit our website at www.rider.edu/coronavirus, where we are posting updated information.
Sincerely,
Gregory G. Dell’Omo, Ph.D.
President