By now you have likely heard that Gov. Ron DeSantis has issued a stay-at-home order for the State of Florida beginning Friday, April 3, at 12:01 a.m. You may be wondering what that means for you and for Florida Poly.
Florida Poly's highest priority is the health and safety of our community. As the COVID-19 crisis rapidly evolves, and in accordance with guidance from local, state, and federal officials, we have important and timely new instructions to share with our on-campus residents. We deeply appreciate your continued patience, cooperation, and understanding as we work together to protect our campus and the surrounding community.
In an attempt to help students continue to progress towards their degree and future career aspirations in a timely manner, the Florida Poly administration and faculty have approved a change in the current Grading and Withdrawal Policies for Spring 2020 courses.
As safety precautions are put in place for coronavirus, we have all been looking at Florida Poly as a safe haven.
Following the direction we received from the State University System today, Florida Poly will extend our remote-learning initiatives for the rest of the semester and develop an alternative schedule and/or method of holding commencement for the spring ceremony. On-campus and in-person ceremonies will not take place at the beginning of May. The university is working diligently to determine the next steps and provide further information. Thank you for your patience and understanding as we work through these next steps. These are big decisions with far-reaching impact and we do not take this lightly. We will provide more information as soon as it's available.
For the safety and well-being of the Florida Poly community, and in response to the coronavirus pandemic, Florida Poly is encouraging all qualified employees to work from home for at least two weeks beginning Tuesday, March 17. This move will not only protect the health and safety of our entire University community, but our families, friends and Polk County as well.
The University continues taking significant steps to protect our students, faculty, staff, and the Polk County community from the ongoing global COVID-19 outbreak. It's important to remember that although the virus is in Florida, there have been no confirmed cases reported in Polk County, including at Florida Poly, that we are aware of at this time.
Your health and safety is our top priority and we have been working to ensure our campus environment is as safe and clean as possible. With that said, we need to communicate some very important announcements to you below.
House Bill 7087 A state bill in the Florida House of Representatives that proposed to merge Florida Polytechnic University and New College of Florida into the University of Florida. The bill was abandoned on March 6, 2020.
The health and safety of our students, faculty, and staff is our top priority. Visit this webpage for resources and additional information. March 4, 3:30 p.m. Dear Florida Poly community, We continue to closely monitor the ongoing coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak and are taking steps to help keep our students, faculty, and staff healthy.