Dear Howard University Students,

As we prepare to enter the first week of online and remote courses, we are aware of your concerns and apprehensions, particularly given the disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, and decisions that have been made to ensure your health and safety. Our committed faculty have been participating in trainings throughout the Spring Break week, and we have provided additional faculty access to software to facilitate online instruction. Blackboard will continue to be the primary Learning Management System (LMS) through this process, though faculty will also be using a variety of software to facilitate your learning. These may include Zoom®, Tegrity®, Google® Twen®, and other products. Your faculty member should be communicating with you to provide additional instruction regarding your courses, if that has not already taken place. 

We have also been in communication with HUSA, and other academic institutions regarding a request to consider providing to undergraduate students the option of Pass/Fail grades, rather than letter grades for courses this semester. We are considering the potential affect of this modification, including impacts on scholarships, satisfactory academic performance, and accreditation concerns, among other matters. We will provide a decision by the end of this week regarding this potential option.

We will also announce new plans for Commencement, in a future communication, based upon input from students, faculty, and medical experts. We realize that the past several weeks has been stressful to our students, faculty and staff. If you would like to access mental health services, the student telehealth mental health provider is "Healthiest You". Please contact them at telehealth4students.com, or via phone at 855-870-5858 

Additionally, Optum has opened its Emotional-Support Help Line, providing access to specially trained mental health specialists to support people who may be experiencing anxiety or stress following the recent developments around COVID-19. Optum’s toll-free help line number, 866-342-6892, will be open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, for as long as necessary. The service is free of charge and open to anyone.

We will continue to provide updates regarding our transition to online and remote courses. We will also continue to share resources that are available to our community to help manage through these troubling times. Thank you for your cooperation, and patience as we make every effort to provide the education that our students are deserving of. As I’ve stated before, we are a resilient community of scholars, and we will get through this challenge together.

Best wishes, and God bless.

Excellence in Truth and Service,

Anthony K. Wutoh, Ph.D., R.Ph.
Provost and Chief Academic Officer