Guiding Principles

In President Harris’ message on May 7, 2020 (sandiego.edu/news/detail.php?_focus=76564), he announced that the university intends to reopen campus in mid-August, with the guidance of the University of San Diego’s six-point plan as well as the medical and public health expertise of federal, state and county authorities.

The University of San Diego’s six-point plan commits to:

Delivering a high-impact learning experience grounded in the Catholic intellectual tradition; Prioritizing health and safety; Ensuring access to testing and monitoring for the virus; Converting our campus into a low-density model; Installing technology into our classrooms to meet the changing times; and Adjusting the academic calendar to mitigate risk.

The University of San Diego’s plan to return to campus will follow or exceed guidelines provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the State of California and the County of San Diego. We expect these guidelines to evolve throughout the coming months and, therefore, we will adjust accordingly.

Our Catholic mission and core values call us to make the health and well-being of each member of our community our first priority. The principle of solidarity reminds us that we are in this together, that we have responsibility for one another, and we must address this challenge as a community. Thus, all employees are expected to exercise both personal and communal responsibility, promoting their own safety as well as the safety of the entire community.

USD has established three groups to develop procedures and protocols for a safe return to campus: the Fall 2020 Academic Affairs Task Force, the Return to Work Task Force, and the Return to Living and Learning Task Force. For information about the work of these three groups and the steps being taken to return to campus this fall, go to the Torero Blueprint website at sandiego.edu/blueprint.

The Employee Guide to Return to Work on Campus, created by the Return to Work Task Force, is intended for our faculty, staff, administrators and student employees. We have a shared responsibility for the health and safety of everyone in our USD community. The university is taking additional steps to provide a safe campus for all. Each one of us must do our part as well.

All employees are expected to comply with the procedures and protocols in this document.