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Dear MTS Community,

The MTS executive leadership has been continually monitoring the progression of the coronavirus (COVID-19) in Memphis and the Mid-South. With the understanding that our first priority must be the well-being of our entire seminary community, we have made the difficult decision to move to remote learning for the remainder of the semester effective Monday, March 16th.

Our decision is also grounded in our responsibility for the larger communities and churches we serve. Since 67% of our students commute from outside of Memphis, we are aware that there is a heightened chance for spreading the sickness if someone from our community comes in contact with the virus.

The following details highlight the significant changes for this semester:

•All in-person classes are canceled for the week of March 16 – 21 to allow faculty and students to prepare for the transition to remote learning. This canceled week will be made up by having class instruction during Reading Week.

  •Hybrid classwork and assignments will remain in session as usual, but will not meet as scheduled for the on-campus face-to-face intensives. Those will be replaced with additional online instruction and student assignments.

            •MAYM classwork and assignments remain in session as usual, but will not meet as scheduled for the on-campus face-to-face retreats. Those will be replaced with additional online instruction and student assignments.

            •Online learning will take place for all classes (day, evening, hybrid, and MAYM) on Monday, March 23rd and continue through the remainder of the semester. As noted above, online instruction for all classes will continue during Reading Week. For classes with Final Exams, those will be administered online

            •All in-person public lectures and gatherings are canceled for the remainder of the semester; this includes the Stiles Lecture scheduled for next week.

            •A decision will be made by mid-April about whether to continue or cancel the Financial Leadership for Ministry class immersion scheduled for the week of May 4 – 8.

            •The seminary will still have Spring Break April 6 – 11, during which time classes will not meet.

            •A decision will be made by mid-April regarding Graduation exercises.

            •Advising Week will be delayed one week, and so will begin March 23rd. Advisors are urged to meet with their advisees via phone, Zoom, or email.

            •The Library will remain open until further notice. If the Library does close, students will still have access to Library services via the library webpage and library email.

            •At this time, the campus will not be closed. Regular work hours will continue for both salaried and hourly personnel. However, all employees are encouraged to stay at home if they show any signs of illness.

            •If the campus does close, salaried workers will continue their work functions remotely to the best of their ability. Hourly workers will also continue to be paid.  

            •Employees experiencing COVID-19 symptoms will not be required to use vacation or sick leave for the period March 16 – May 31.  We encourage all employees to stay home from work if you have any cold or flu symptoms. 

            •MTS campus will close at 5 pm each day with security leaving at 6 p.m. effective March 16 – May 31.

•MTS will refund housing charges to all students who have prepaid for their housing.

We did not make this decision lightly, but the leadership team is unanimous in our opinion that these actions are the best course for us to promote the well-being of our entire seminary community.

For our students, I am sure many questions will enter your mind—some of which we may be able to answer right away and others that will take some time to surface. Please contact our Director of Student Services, Dr. Barry Anderson, if you need guidance as a result of these changes. Dr. Anderson can be reached at banderson@memphisseminary.edu or (901) 334-5806. For Canvas, Zoom, or other technical concerns, please contact Chris Smith at csmith@memphisseminary.edu.

Will you join me in prayer for all who are impacted by this pandemic? Even more specifically, I will be praying for continued health and the well-being of each and every one of you.

God Bless You All,

Jody Hill

MTS President