Update: New Academic Guidance Announced; Return Set for Monday
Update: New Academic Guidance Announced; Return Set for Monday

Updated: Saturday, Feb. 20, 2021

Return to instruction message from Provost Inga Musselman to the campus community:

This communication follows yesterday’s announcement that UT Dallas will reopen for instruction and operations on Monday, February 22.

The decisions and guidance for resuming instruction, provided below, take into consideration that some students, staff and faculty continue to be without electricity, internet and water, and some remain in temporary shelters. It cannot be assumed that students have been able to keep up with their lessons and assignments this past week, or that faculty have had the same opportunities to focus on shifting their course content. Faculty are encouraged to contact their department/program head or supervisor if they have extenuating circumstances that prevent them from conducting normal instruction this week.

  1. Courses that meet on Tuesday/Thursday or Thursday only schedules are required to make up one class day to be aligned with state guidelines. Faculty are advised to make up this single missing class with additional virtual work. For example, virtual work could include an additional recorded lecture.
  2. The deadline for midterm grades will be extended by two weeks, from March 13 until March 27. The current deadline of March 13 is the Saturday before Spring Break. An impact of moving the deadline would be realized only by extending the deadline by more than one week, e.g., to the Saturday after returning from Spring Break, March 27.
  3. I urge a compassionate restart to instruction by delaying deadlines for assignments, quizzes and tests until at least February 26. For most courses, this would allow for two class periods before a (re)scheduled assessment. Forcing exams and graded assignments early this coming week may result in the underperformance of students due to no fault of their own.

Thank you all for your patience and for your commitment to the education of our students.

Stay safe and warm,

Inga Musselman's signature

Dr. Inga H. Musselman
Provost, Vice President for Academic Affairs
Cecil H. Green Distinguished Chair of Academic Leadership

Feb. 19 campus announcement

Dear UT Dallas Community:

Based on the improving weather, we will resume our spring instruction and work schedule on Monday, Feb. 22.

As the thaw progresses, we are assessing the damage on campus. There are ongoing repairs in many areas and buildings, so we ask that you do not return to campus before Monday.

Services for on-campus residents will continue to operate throughout the weekend as they have during this past week. Consult the appropriate webpages and social media for updates.

We recognize that students, staff, and faculty could continue to face challenges as we recover from this weather emergency. If you have extenuating circumstances that will prevent you from participating in class or working normally, please contact your instructor or your work supervisor.

We encourage you to continue monitoring the UT Dallas homepage and our Twitter and Facebook pages for the latest information about any changes that may be necessary due to changes in campus conditions.