Dear T-Bird Parents and Families,
You've made it to the end of one of the most unusual and unprecedented semesters. Congratulations! At SUU Parent & Family Services, we want you to know that we care and understand the difficulties you are experiencing. Our office is open and available to help. Though we are remote through summer, we are still working to support you and your needs.
With the rapidly evolving nature of the COVID-19 disease, the landscape is continually shifting, and we will do our best to communicate with you as decisions are being made.
A Message From
Dr. Jared Tippets,
Vice President for Student Affairs
Dear current SUU students,
Congratulations on completing a challenging and unique spring semester. It’s hard to imagine that only a few short weeks ago we drastically changed the way we teach, learn, and work. I am so impressed by your Thunderbird spirit and appreciate your patience, flexibility, and resilience as we all face this unprecedented time in our history together. Anyway, I wanted to write and share a quick update.
As previously announced, the summer semester will be delivered remotely as the State has advised everyone to continue to practice social distancing. If you are taking classes this summer, hang in there, do your best, and enjoy this new learning environment.
We are looking forward to being able to welcome you back to campus for the Fall semester, and are hopeful that we will be able to safely resume in-person classes in Cedar City, which would start on Wednesday, September 9th. However, our fall semester plans, of course, are dependent on the continued decline in COVID-19 cases, as well as approval from federal, state and local government and public health officials. We will keep you informed as our planning progresses.
The health, safety, and well-being of our campus community remains our top priority. As a result, we are in close communication with the Governor’s Office, the Utah System of Higher Education, and the local Southwest Utah Public Health Department. We are working diligently on developing new precautions and protocols that will be in place by fall to ensure a safe reopening. More specifics on those guidelines will be sent in the future. We expect that if and when we do return, there will be changes in the way we operate as well as what is expected of each of us in our daily routines. As you know, Cedar City is not in a densely populated urban community, our campus is spacious for a school our size, and we offer small class sizes – all significant advantages for protecting the health and safety of our community.
SUU is an incredible place, and I know that we are all looking forward to being back together on campus. I hope this email gives you some comfort that we are headed in that direction and that we will do what we can to keep everyone safe and healthy. We will undoubtedly continue to face adversity in the foreseeable future, but we are up to the challenge. In the meantime, I ask for your continued patience and understanding.
I look forward to seeing you – here on campus – as soon as that is possible.
Jared
Join Our Incoming and Current Student Open
Forum Webinar every Thursday at 2PM
Do you or your student have questions? Registration? Housing? First Year Experience? COVID-19 changes? We are here to answer them? Some of the experts of SUU will be on a Q&A forum to answer any and all of your questions. This will continue weekly. Join us
at this link
.
We are here to help! Did you miss the last forums? Check out April 23rd's
here
and April 30th
here
.
Still Looking for Housing-
On campus housing has rooms available.
University Housing gives students a variety of benefits. Learn about the
residence halls
,
Learning Communities
, and
dining options
on campus
. Many options for off campus housing are also available. This page is always being updated with current and available off campus housing. Check it out
here
.
Online/Remote Summer Semester - Frequently Asked Questions
We understand there are a lot of questions about the changes. SUU's Emergency Response Team has put together some of the frequently asked questions about summer semester. If you've had questions, check it out
here
.
Tuition fees in portal
- Please be aware that the account balance students currently see in their portal is most often not reflective of what they will actually owe SUU. This is due to a federal regulation which prevents SUU from applying students' financial aid to their account until ten days before the start of the semester. If you or your student would like to go over the costs of attendance -- including financial aid -- please make an appointment with
Financial Wellness
here
.
Incoming Freshman
- Advisers are currently registering incoming freshman, and will be continuing for the next coming months. Your student will be hearing from their adviser soon. Advisers are assigned by major. You can go
here
to find their assigned adviser. Make sure your student is also checking off the New Student Checklist
here
.
Academic Scholarship Application Deadline
has been extended to
June 1st
to help new students impacted by COVID-19. Extending the date gives students who were planning to attend SUU in the Fall semester more time to apply for academic scholarships. It also applies to potential students who returned early from religious missions or delayed entry into the military or service programs options to begin achieving their higher education goals sooner than anticipated. If you want more details read about it
here
. Also, remember, scholarships can be used for remote learning through fall semester as well.
Virtual Statewide Alumni Career Fair
May 12, 9-2 pm.
This exciting event, held each year, attracts 600+ alumni from each member school to meet with over 100 employers on one engaging day. Each of the member schools invites recent and experienced alumni to attend; employers from across the region recognize how valuable the fair is for connecting with and acquiring new talent. This year's event will be a virtual fair which you can attend from anywhere. Employers and Alumni (as well as recent graduates) register
here
.
Has your student's deferment plans changed?
They are always welcome at SUU!
We understand that COVID-19 may have altered current and future plans for many of your students. Although we share in their disappointment, we don't want this to keep them from moving forward with their educational goals. Whether your student is returning home early from religious service, delaying military service, had their humanitarian trip canceled, or whatever the circumstance - we are here to help you with their transition.
SUU will be accommodating students whose plans have been disrupted and offers a wide variety of options for them. Please reach out to the Nest at
(435) 865-8484
or
thenest@suu.edu
for help with your students next steps in re-enrolling at SUU.
Here at SUU, we genuinely want the best for our students and that hasn't changed, only increased through these uncertain times. While there is no road map for what we are going through, we are confident that we will make it through these challenging times - together.