If governors drew praise for taking quick action to protect public health, taking responsibility for when and how to reopen could prove far more politically perilous, said Ray Scheppach, a UVA public policy professor and a former longtime executive director of the National Governors Association.
The University Hospital Expansion was set to open in June, until the COVID-19 pandemic derailed those plans. However, rather then delaying the expansion’s opening, the virus sped it up.
(Commentary by Deborah Hellman, professor of law) As cases related to the novel coronavirus continue to strain hospitals, doctors face difficult choices about rationing scarce medical resources like ventilators – choices that will likely determine who lives and who dies.
The farm will deliver 1,000 azaleas and other flowering shrubs to the UVA nurses and doctors who are working day and night to treat patients and fight the spread of COVID-19 on Friday.
Forlano said the state is working closely with academic partners, including Virginia Commonwealth University and the University of Virginia medical centers, “to make sure we can expand the testing very quickly.”
UVA researchers presented their findings this week, using data up to April 11. They concluded that “Virginia as a whole will have sufficient medical resources for at least the next couple months” (emphasis theirs) and that the number of coronavirus cases may not overwhelm commonwealth hospitals.
The University of Virginia is anticipating $20 million in losses from housing and dining rebates, according to the letter, while the College of William & Mary projects a financial impact between $13 million and $32 million because of refunds for tuition and room and board, and for spending more on technology related to virtual learning.
Life turned upside down for many UVA students forced to leave Grounds, jobs, housing, and other resources behind. Relief is now on the way for those facing hardships. UVA will rake in roughly $5.8 million through the CARES act. This will go straight to students who have been impacted the most by the crisis.
Institutions such as the University of Virginia have already started to implement institution-wide hiring freezes as part of their effort to minimize the possible economic impact of COVID-19. In a message to the campus, UVA president Jim Ryan pledged that the burden of cost cutting would be shared across the institution. All schools and units will cut or eliminate nonessential expenses. The university’s executive leadership team will take a 10% salary reduction, and capital projects that haven’t already started are on hold.
In light of COVID-19, Aramark is certainly not alone in cutting staff – especially in the service industry. Aramark, which provides services to more than 400 colleges, has faced a particularly large outcry from students at schools such as the University of Virginia, Harvard and Cornell. Most strikingly, UVA even had to go as far as to create a $2M fund to support workers laid off by the company. Surely, leaving an educational institution to pick up the tab for workers in a crisis is not what one should expect from a “stakeholder-first” company.
(Commentary by Alex Hernandez, dean of the School of Continuing and Professional Studies) Online learning can elicit powerful emotions, but is typically not associated with building confidence, leadership, and the other human skills people need to flourish. Sometimes people just want to check the box on their degrees so they can move forward with their lives. But for many adult learners, online learning was transformative.
The White House’s seemingly erratic response has further contributed to the rise in governors’ popularity and credibility, UVA law professor Dick Howard said. “The president’s policies seem to change from day to day, so when you look at that performance in Washington compared with a much more steady hand of at least some of the governors, then it’s not surprising that the governors end up looking pretty good.”
When looking at Jocelyn Willoughby’s player bio on UVA’s women’s basketball page, it takes until the ninth bullet point to reach one of Willoughby’s on-court accolades. Prior to listing Willoughby’s 2019-20 All-American status, her bio shares seven off-the-court achievements.
For younger kids, missing out on play with peers could take a toll. Play facilitates cognitive development, said James Coan, a UVA psychology professor who studies the neuroscience of human connection. And yet “adults are not very good playmates,” he said. “They are boring, they are impatient and they have other things to do.”
On Wednesday evening, you may have noticed a parade of red and blue lights in one Charlottesville neighborhood. First responders from the Charlottesville area came to show support to former UVA Police Officer Becky Campbell.
UVA and Piedmont Virginia Community College are among the schools across Virginia that are getting federal funding to support students.
The University of Virginia Medical Center was able to redesign and accelerate portions of a $394-million expansion project to meet demand for bed capacity brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The University of Virginia is freezing hiring, freezing salaries and taking other steps due to the financial impacts of the coronavirus pandemic.
The University of Virginia on Tuesday announced it would freeze hiring and salaries and institute pay cuts for leadership as the university wrestles with coronavirus-created financial impacts of shuttered classes, canceled celebrations and refunds to students.
UVA business professor Raj Venkatesan said, “Streaming is only going to grow. People will need some kind of entertainment, especially with live entertainment going away. The question of budget is definitely there – if people lose jobs, they may only have one service or two. There is an opportunity, especially for cheaper services like Peacock, but there is also the competition.”