Dear UWLA School of Business, 

I hope this message finds each of you well and in good health. UWLA is approaching the end of its 2021 calendar school year and wants to continually inform and update its students to continue an ongoing dialogue with our UWLA extended family members. I personally look at each of you as an important part of the UWLA family and hope we can work together to serve the best interest of all of our academic endeavors in an equitable manner. 

In efforts to receive direct feedback from our students, you received a survey recently. Thank you to the majority of you who completed it. The results provided us with specific and telling insight into our student body. I would like to express some key findings from that survey:

• Over 50% of UWLA students are themselves or live with someone who is at higher risk for COVID-19
  
• Over 66% of UWLA students do not feel safe returning to the classroom for Spring I
  
• Given these results, over 90% would prefer to continue studies online

In light of these results, I think it is clear that our UWLA family strongly prefers to continue in an online format in the interest of health and safety. I support our UWLA family and have decided that the Hybrid Bachelors and Master’s programs will continue through the Summer 2022 term fully online synchronous modality (the same modality that has existed since March of 2020) meaning there will be no changes to your current learning experience. 

I assure you we will continue to monitor, survey, and adjust as we proceed. There may be opportunities to open the campus library and facilities to students and if that opportunity arises, we will do so happily and safely. Also, if there are opportunities and interest to resume on ground/hybrid courses, we will also look into doing that as well. 

Overall, we sincerely appreciate your feedback and interaction. We have worked together this entire time during the pandemic, and this has helped UWLA overcome these challenges and unique circumstances which allow us to fulfill our educational empowerment value. I will continue to speak with you and as always, feel free to contact me at any time (TLBrown@UWLA.edu). Please have a safe end to your term and holiday season and please continue to be in good health. 

Sincerely, 

​​​​​​​

Dean Talon Brown