President Lapidus issued the following notice to the campus on Tuesday, March 17: To the campus community, Good afternoon. I write to share some important updates as we respond to the ever-evolving coronavirus (COVID-19) situation.  In accordance with guidance from state and national authorities, and echoed by the rest of the state university system, Fitchburg State will suspend all face-to-face classroom instruction for the remainder of the spring 2020 semester and transition to offering all instruction remotely. Classes will resume on Monday, March 23 with remote delivery of course materials. Faculty have already begun preparations for this transition. Students will be contacted by their instructors with details about ways they will be able to complete their course requirements. Students on internships, clinicals and practicums should also follow directions from their faculty. In addition, residence halls will remain closed through the end of the semester. More details about collecting your belongings will be sent to residential students in subsequent emails from Housing and Residential Services. We understand students and their families have questions about refunds. Be advised the university is working with the state and awaiting their guidance on this issue. We appreciate your patience as discussions evolve. For members of our university staff, please know the campus is not closing. To date, there have been no confirmed cases of coronavirus here. We are taking increased precautions for cleaning and urging good health practices that include covering coughs, social distancing, handwashing, and limiting your interaction with large groups of people. We will extend teleworking through April 8 in alignment with the governor’s directive. Please continue working with your supervisor on a regular basis. Remember to check your university email address for important communications, which are also being archived – along with additional resources and information on prevention – at fitchburgstate.edu/coronavirus. You can also direct questions to coronavirus@fitchburgstate.edu. We understand the disappointment that many of you are no doubt feeling as a result of these actions. Please know that this situation is challenging for all of us, but that these measures are necessary in these extraordinary times. We know that this situation is likely creating anxiety for some of you as well. By working together, I know that we can keep our students on track and make the remainder of the semester a rewarding and safe educational experience. Thank you, again, for your commitment to Fitchburg State University. Sincerely, Richard S. Lapidus President Back to News

Fitchburg State University faculty and staff will work remotely starting Monday, March 16 and is preparing to deliver instruction online starting the week of Monday, March 23. Students should not return to campus next week, aside from scheduled times for resident students to retrieve belongings. The online instruction will last at least until Friday, April 3. Plans for remote working and learning will be reassessed with guidance from state and national authorities. President Richard S. Lapidus announced the developments in a memo to the campus community on Friday, March 13. The memo is reproduced below (and is also archived with other relevant communications on the university's coronavirus web page): I realize it is very important to maintain communications and dialog with you during these uncertain times. This memo is intended to update you on the university’s plan for the next few weeks given the ever-evolving coronavirus situation.  My discussions with the university’s executive leadership and your union representatives continue to be focused on prioritizing the health and safety of all of our campus constituents. It is our goal to temporarily move course instruction to remote methods as we also plan to resume regular operations at some point. The following guidelines will be put in place immediately to help keep our operations moving smoothly. We have adopted a tempered, sequential planning approach to build in flexibility to alter our path as new information becomes available or any new situations arise. You will receive subsequent communications shortly with more detailed information. Your patience and cooperation are deeply appreciated. For the week of March 16: All faculty and staff will be working remotely from home with the exception of those designated as essential personnel, who will report to campus. Your supervisor will be contacting you by early next week about your work plan. Staff will be focusing on continuity of operations, including ways to deliver services at a distance. Please take your laptop, power cable and any other materials that you may need to work remotely. For faculty, please note that department and graduate chairs will be meeting on Monday, March 16, to further plan the migration to remote instruction. In addition, the university will offer training sessions next week on Tuesday, March 17. Participation in the trainings and the Monday meeting will be available in-person and remotely. More information (hours and instructions for participation) on both of these activities will be sent as follow-up communications soon. For the weeks of March 23 and March 30: Remote course instruction, pending continued conversations with the MSCA, will begin on Monday, March 23 and will continue at least through April 3. However, internships, student teaching and clinicals should continue, as long as the sites remain open. If necessary, faculty and librarians may use campus facilities and services during these two weeks. Students may not return to campus.  Non-essential staff will continue to work remotely for the week of March 23. This will be re-evaluated by March 27 for the week of March 30. Again, I appreciate your support and remain available to answer any other questions you may have. I also encourage you to bookmark and revisit the university’s coronavirus web page for archived messages and timely updates. Back to News

Fitchburg State University will cancel in-person classes for one week in response to the COVID-19 outbreak as it explores the possibility of remote instruction. President Richard S. Lapidus informed the campus community that all classes will be canceled the week of March 16-20 and students have been told not to return to the campus that week. Residence halls will be closed for the week. “While Fitchburg State has received no confirmed or suspected cases of COVID-19 infection, we need to act now to slow the spread of the virus,” President Lapidus said. “To further that goal, we are preparing and planning for the possibility of temporarily delivering course material remotely for all face-to-face courses. Therefore, we are going to cancel classes until Monday, March 23 (except for accelerated online programs). Students should not return to campus the week of March 16-20.” The campus will otherwise remain open and all faculty and staff should continue their regular work schedules the week of March 16-20. The break will also allow additional time to clean all frequently touched surfaces and common areas on campus. In addition, the following conditions are in effect for at least 30 days and will be revisited in the coming weeks.The university will be surveying students, faculty and staff about their travel over the break. Anyone who has traveled to areas considered at high risk of COVID-19 will be asked to self-isolate before returning to the main campus, and to contact their primary healthcare providers should they develop symptoms (such as fever, cough, and shortness of breath). All work-related travel, both foreign and domestic, is to be discontinued until further notice. Study abroad travels have already been canceled or postponed. For conferences, consider virtual options. Out-of-state visitors, including guest speakers or job candidates, should be moved to online forums. The university is canceling or postponing large gatherings on the campus (currently defined as those having 100 or more attendees). The university will revisit large gatherings in the coming weeks based on evolving conditions and guidance from state and national authorities. “We do not take these measures lightly, and we wish they were not necessary,” President Lapidus said. “Our goal is to keep members of our community safe while ensuring that students can complete their coursework for the semester and the daily operations of the institution can continue.” The university has created a website – fitchburgstate.edu/coronavirus – that contains updates and tips for prevention. Back to News

This event has been canceled because of the COVID-19 outbreak. Fitchburg State University will celebrate Women’s History Month in March with a series of programs and talks including a keynote lecture focusing on the economic case for LGBT equality. A performance of the play “We Did it for You,” about the women’s suffrage movement, will be presented at 2 p.m. Saturday, March 14 at the Wallace Theatre for the Performing Arts in the McKay Complex, 67 Rindge Road. Admission is free and open to the public. The performance is presented with the Fitchburg Public Library and the Freedom's Way National Heritage Area. There will be a free performance when Women in the Arts are celebrated at 4 p.m. Thursday, March 19 at Kent Recital Hall in the Conlon Fine Arts Building, 367 North St. The annual Women in the Arts celebration is a free event featuring performances and exhibits by members of the Fitchburg State community. The 2020 Women in the Arts celebration will include music, poetry, film, and visual art by women-identified artists, including students, faculty, staff, and community members. The incredibly varied program is a powerful showcase for the amazing work of women-identified artists. The university’s Nancy Kelly Lecture will be delivered at 2 p.m. Tuesday, March 31 in Presidents’ Hall in the Mazzaferro Center, 291 Highland Ave. “The Economic Case for LGBT Equality: Changing the World with a New Idea” will be delivered by M.V. Lee Badgett, professor of economics at UMass Amherst and Williams Distinguished Scholar at UCLA’s Williams Institute. Her research focuses on economic inequality for LGBT people, including wage gaps, employment discrimination, and poverty, and on the global cost of homophobia and transphobia. Badgett’s books on LGBT economic issues have debunked the myth of gay affluence and have shown that same-sex marriage is good for society. Her latest book, The Economic Case for LGBT Equality: Why Fair and Equal Treatment Benefits Us All, will be published in 2020 by Beacon Press. She is also the author of The Public Professor: How to Use Your Research to Change the World. Badgett testified as an expert witness before the U.S. Congress and in litigation, and she has been a consultant to development agencies and businesses. She has a Ph.D. in economics from the University of California at Berkeley. Back to News

Fitchburg State University is closely monitoring the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak in the United States and overseas and is working proactively to minimize any risk to the university community. Learn more at fitchburgstate.edu/coronavirus. In light of guidance from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) this week and the strong urging of the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH) and Governor Baker’s office, the university has decided to cancel all planned international Spring Break programs. "Our decision is echoed by many of our sister institutions in Massachusetts and across the country who have canceled spring study abroad programs," President Lapidus said in a note to the campus community. "You are also likely aware that our students who had already been studying in Italy have left the country. We are in touch with other students already abroad or planning to study abroad this spring advising them to consider returning home or, for those who have not yet departed, to consider staying. "We understand these developments are causing great disappointment, but the health of our students and campus population is our top priority and we are heeding the advice of state and national authorities in determining not to go forward with these programs at this time," Lapidus continued. The university’s coronavirus response team, spanning numerous campus offices including Student Health Services, Academic Affairs, Student Affairs, Human Resources, Capital Planning and Maintenance and other divisions, is in constant discussion as the global situation evolves and new guidance is issued from from state and national health agencies. The university has set up a web page - fitchburgstate.edu/coronavirus - that includes updated information. Back to News

This event has been canceled because of the COVID-19 outbreak. Fitchburg State University’s musical ensembles will perform together at the Music Mega-Mix concert at 7 p.m. Monday, March 23, in Weston Auditorium at 353 North St. Admission is free and open to the public.The performance will involve over 100 students, staff, faculty and community members who are involved in the university’s five curricular music ensembles: Concert Choir, Chamber Choir, Jazz Band, String Orchestra, and Concert Band. “The Mega-Mix is a chance for folks to hear all of Fitchburg State’s ensembles in one place,” said Professor Jonathan Harvey of the Humanities Department. “Each of the vocal and instrumental ensembles will perform a short sample, giving members of the campus and wider community interested in the music-making on campus the chance to see all of these groups at the same time as a real ‘one-stop shopping’ experience.” For more information on the university’s music programs, visit fitchburgstate.edu/music. Back to News

This event has been canceled because of the COVID-19 outbreak. Fitchburg State will celebrate Women’s History Month in March with a series of programs and talks including a keynote lecture focusing on the economic case for LGBT equality. A performance of the play “We Did it for You,” about the women’s suffrage movement, will be presented at 2 p.m. Saturday, March 14 at the Wallace Theatre for the Performing Arts in the McKay Complex, 67 Rindge Road. Admission is free and open to the public. The program is presented by the Fitchburg Public Library and Freedom’s Way National Heritage Area and is offered as part of the university’s 125th anniversary celebration. There will be a free performance when Women in the Arts are celebrated at 4 p.m. Thursday, March 19 at Kent Recital Hall in the Conlon Fine Arts Building, 367 North St. The annual Women in the Arts celebration is a free event featuring performances and exhibits by members of the Fitchburg State community. The 2020 Women in the Arts celebration will include music, poetry, film, and visual art by women-identified artists, including students, faculty, staff, and community members. The incredibly varied program is a powerful showcase for the amazing work of women-identified artists. The university’s Nancy Kelly Lecture will be delivered at 2 p.m. Tuesday, March 31 in Presidents’ Hall in the Mazzaferro Center, 291 Highland Ave. “The Economic Case for LGBT Equality: Changing the World with a New Idea” will be delivered by M.V. Lee Badgett, professor of economics at UMass Amherst and Williams Distinguished Scholar at UCLA’s Williams Institute. Her research focuses on economic inequality for LGBT people, including wage gaps, employment discrimination, and poverty, and on the global cost of homophobia and transphobia. Badgett’s books on LGBT economic issues have debunked the myth of gay affluence and have shown that same-sex marriage is good for society. Her latest book, The Economic Case for LGBT Equality: Why Fair and Equal Treatment Benefits Us All, will be published in 2020 by Beacon Press. She is also the author of The Public Professor: How to Use Your Research to Change the World. Badgett testified as an expert witness before the U.S. Congress and in litigation, and she has been a consultant to development agencies and businesses. She has a Ph.D. in economics from the University of California at Berkeley. Back to News

Fitchburg State’s Community Read of the acclaimed graphic novel Maus by Art Spiegelman continues this semester with discussions and film screenings, as well as a talk with the author himself in April. Maus is the story of Vladek Spiegelman, a Jewish survivor of the Holocaust and his son, a cartoonist, who tries to come to terms with his father, his father’s terrifying story, and history itself. The spring events begin with a book discussion and brunch at 10 a.m. Monday, March 16 at the Lunenburg Senior Center, 25 Memorial Drive. Visitors are asked to RSVP by calling 978.582.4166. The series continues with a screening of the documentary Breaking the Silence: The Generation after the Holocaust at 4 p.m. Sunday, March 22 at the Fitchburg Public Library, 610 Main St. The documentary features interviews with adult children of Holocaust survivors as they share their memories of growing up with parents who could not recount their years in Nazi camps. The programs return to campus with an interdisciplinary panel discussion of rising nationalism around the world at 3:30 p.m. Monday, March 30 in Ellis White Lecture Hall in Hammond Hall. Professors Eric Budd, Kate Jewell, Ben Lieberman, and Ben Railton will discuss competing visions of the nation, and who belongs to the nation historically, and today. The panelists will explore the political and socio-economic significance of rising nationalism and globalization, both at home and abroad. The series will continue in April with presentations by Spiegelman himself. At 6 p.m. Thursday, April 16, the author will speak at Mount Wachusett Community College as part of the Humanities Project Series. This is a free event and open to the public but advanced reservations are required. Tickets can be reserved starting Feb. 28 by visiting the Mount Wachusett Community College website. Fitchburg State will be streaming the talk in the Falcon Hub at Hammond Hall for those who cannot attend the event in person at Mount Wachusett. Spiegelman will visit the Fitchburg State campus in person on Friday, April 17, meeting with a group of invited students from Fitchburg State and surrounding schools. Keep up to date on all Community Read events by visiting the Fitchburg Community Read website. Back to News

Fitchburg State will celebrate Women’s History Month in March with a series of programs and talks including a keynote lecture focusing on the economic case for LGBT equality. The university’s observances begin with International Women’s Day at 12:30 p.m. Thursday, March 5 in the main lounge of Hammond Hall. The event will include a “herstory” discussion circle with international students from Albania, Cameroon, Germany, India, Kenya, Morocco, and Nigeria, facilitated by students from Professor Viera Lorencova’s intercultural communication class. The program is organized by the university’s Communications Media Department, the Office of International Education, and the Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies program. A performance of the play “We Did it for You,” about the women’s suffrage movement, will be presented at 2 p.m. Saturday, March 14 at the Wallace Theatre for the Performing Arts in the McKay Complex, 67 Rindge Road. Admission is free and open to the public. The program is presented by the Fitchburg Public Library and Freedom’s Way National Heritage Area and is offered as part of the university’s 125^th anniversary celebration. There will be a free performance when Women in the Arts are celebrated at 4 p.m. Thursday, March 19 at Kent Recital Hall in the Conlon Fine Arts Building, 367 North St. The annual Women in the Arts celebration is a free event featuring performances and exhibits by members of the Fitchburg State community. The 2020 Women in the Arts celebration will include music, poetry, film, and visual art by women-identified artists, including students, faculty, staff, and community members. The incredibly varied program is a powerful showcase for the amazing work of women-identified artists. The university’s Nancy Kelly Lecture will be delivered at 2 p.m. Tuesday, March 31 in Presidents’ Hall in the Mazzaferro Center, 291 Highland Ave. “The Economic Case for LGBT Equality: Changing the World with a New Idea” will be delivered by M.V. Lee Badgett, professor of economics at UMass Amherst and Williams Distinguished Scholar at UCLA’s Williams Institute. Her research focuses on economic inequality for LGBT people, including wage gaps, employment discrimination, and poverty, and on the global cost of homophobia and transphobia. Badgett’s books on LGBT economic issues have debunked the myth of gay affluence and have shown that same-sex marriage is good for society. Her latest book, The Economic Case for LGBT Equality: Why Fair and Equal Treatment Benefits Us All, will be published in 2020 by Beacon Press. She is also the author of The Public Professor: How to Use Your Research to Change the World. Badgett testified as an expert witness before the U.S. Congress and in litigation, and she has been a consultant to development agencies and businesses. She has a Ph.D. in economics from the University of California at Berkeley. Back to News