Guiding Principles

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, our ongoing planning efforts have been informed by a set of clearly articulated principles and shared values:

1. We will fulfill our mission and meet our standard of excellence. The core mission of JHU remains unchanged, even in a changed environment. We are committed to maintaining our standard of excellence in all the forms that our instruction, research, and other activities may take, including in-person, virtual, or hybrid modalities. Our efforts will focus on allowing our students and faculty to pursue their personal and professional aims and will encompass not only classroom and research activity but also other critical components of campus life, including support services, campus traditions, and co-curricular experiences.
2. The health and safety of our community is paramount. Protecting our learners, faculty, and staff is the starting point for each decision. When and how we resume our in-person activities in the physical spaces that animate university life will be dependent on the arc of the pandemic and the best public health practices available to mitigate its impacts, from physical distancing and personal protective equipment, to effective testing, contact tracing, and adequate quarantine facilities.
3. Science, evidence, and pragmatism will guide our decisions. Our plans for resuming campus activities will rest on guidance from public health authorities and the best available data and scientific information. We will be bold in developing options for resumption of all clinical, research, education, and service activities, but also clear-eyed about the trajectory of the pandemic and the effectiveness and practicality of mitigation efforts across our large, complex community.
4. We will be flexible and innovative in the face of evolving circumstances. We will embrace fully the challenge and opportunity of exploring new ways to continue our mission as the circumstances evolve. The path of this pandemic is not linear; indeed, it will require us to be flexible for quite some time. So we will prepare for multiple scenarios and be innovative in providing a robust and dynamic campus experience that plays to our community’s greatest strengths—scholarly focus, insatiable curiosity, and a drive to turn ideas into impact—in whatever form those academic encounters occur.
5. We will provide inclusive and equitable solutions. Students, faculty, and staff from every part of the university will be integral to shaping and implementing our plans to reflect the full range of our community’s needs and interests. The approach we take will be thoughtful and attentive to the disparate impacts of the pandemic on members of our community.
6. We will heed our responsibility to ensure the university’s financial strength and stability. The success of our response to this pandemic will have lasting effects on the university, and we must be mindful to make decisions that not only help us weather the present crisis but also position us for sustained institutional excellence.