Tufts Works to Tackle Pandemic Challenges
The COVID-19 crisis has forever changed Tufts, President Anthony P. Monaco told the university’s faculty and staff on April 17. “When the pandemic is over, we cannot go back to the way we were. These are uncharted waters for all of us,” he said.
At the same time, Tufts’ core values, its mission, and its people give it the strength to tackle the challenges of a post-pandemic world. “I’m fundamentally optimistic,” Monaco said.
The president addressed faculty and staff via a virtual town hall, discussing the academic and financial challenges facing Tufts as the university grapples with what the coming academic year might look like. He and his senior leadership team also outlined the immediate steps Tufts will take to confront the considerable economic impact of recent events, including instituting a salary and hiring freeze and halting capital projects.
The uncertainty of events, even in the near term, means that the answers to many pressing questions—“Will students be coming to campus for the fall semester?” “Will there be layoffs?”—cannot be answered now, the president and other members of the university’s senior administration said. Along with expressing his “Jumbo pride” in the university’s employees, he promised the administration would strive to be equitable and transparent in its decision-making.