Dear Students and Parents,

I was pleased to hear late Friday night that all students safely arrived at J.F.K. and Logan International Airports. In addition to receiving notifications from students, College staff were also tracking online the various flights throughout the morning, afternoon and night. Other than two students missing their connection flight due to a brief period of time to travel from the international to the domestic terminal at J.F.K., (those flights were quickly rebooked for a 7:30 p.m. flight) the long day of travel was, thankfully, incident free.

This week, staff from the Office of Residential Life will contact students to facilitate housing arrangements for those who wish to return to campus for the remainder of the semester. They will also check-in with students over the next two weeks to inquire if they are exhibiting any symptoms of COVID-19, coronavirus. (As a precaution, a physician must first clear students who plan to return to campus on Saturday, March 21 following the 14-day self-isolation.) If you have any questions regarding the resumption of classes online, please contact Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs, Dr. Eloise Knowlton .

The health and safety of our students was paramount as we monitored the situation in Italy and ultimately made the decision to suspend operations at the Rome Campus. Thank you once again for your patience this week as we responded to the unexpected flight cancellations by Alitalia. Thank you also for understanding our decision to suspend operations at the Rome Campus given this unprecedented global health epidemic that has disproportionately affected the Italian peninsula.

I wish to thank our faculty in Rome, Professors Lance Lazar, Ph.D. and Catherine WoodBrooks, Ph.D., for their tireless efforts this past week and for ensuring students were provided a memorable academic experience this semester, even a brief one.

I hope all students are feeling well and resting after an arduous day of travel. I look forward to seeing you on campus either this semester or in the Fall.

Sincerely,