Dear MBU Community,

The situation concerning Covid-19 continues to evolve. As I am sure you know, a small number of reported cases have now surfaced in the St. Louis region. This is a time to be proactive in an effort to keep our campus community safe. With that in mind, all in-person courses offered on Missouri Baptist University’s main campus will temporarily transition to an online format from March 16-April 3.

The University is currently on spring break through March 15. In-person courses that met on MBU’s main campus will resume online via Canvas, MBU’s Learning Management System, no later than Thursday, March 19. Students should, however, check Canvas daily for class updates beginning March 16.

This proactive move was made in an effort to protect the University community’s health and well-being while continuing to provide uninterrupted educational services to main campus students. Currently, there are no known cases of Covid-19 at MBU. If MBU were to learn that a student, faculty or staff member has been exposed to the virus, the University would require a self-quarantine, along with notification to the St. Louis County Department of Health. If a member of the MBU community tests positive for the virus, notification will be immediately disseminated.

During the transition, MBU’s main campus will remain open. Student services, including resident life, library services, academic support and athletics, will be operational and available for students. Students are asked to seek every avenue to live off campus between now and April 5, 2020. The University’s main campus will undergo a deep cleaning of all surfaces as recommended by the CDC.

Given the potential for exposure and CDC recommendations for social distancing, MBU has made the following decisions:

• If possible, all student programming scheduled through April 3 will transition to a virtual format or will be postponed or canceled.  
• Off-campus, experiential learning, including internships, student teaching and clinicals, will continue as planned (unless canceled by the host organization).
• Student athletes will receive additional clarification related to team activities from the Athletics Department and their coaches.
• All University-sponsored student and employee travel, both international and domestic, scheduled for March 16-April 5 has been cancelled unless approved by senior administrators.
• Spectator-free athletic events will occur until further notice. MBU will work to live-stream as many competitions as possible. Live-streaming can be viewed at: https://mbuspartans.com/.
• At this time, plans for MBU’s spring commencement remain unchanged.

These plans are developing and we wanted to inform our community as quickly as possible. Specific information for students, faculty and staff will be forthcoming via email from senior leadership. Please continue to monitor https://www.mobap.edu/coronavirus-advisory/. If you should have additional questions, please email Covid19response@mobap.edu; we will do everything we can to respond in a timely manner.  Finally, we ask for your patience as we seek to make the best decisions as we navigate this challenge to keep everyone at MBU healthy and safe.

Sincerely,

Keith Ross

President