Dear BSOS Students,

As we transition to online learning starting on Monday, March 30, I wanted to take this moment to connect with each one of you. Thank you for your patience, flexibility, resourcefulness, and creativity during this unprecedented time. Thank you also for the care and concern that you have shown for each other and for the members of our community.

Teaching and learning online will be a learning process for many of us and will not be without roadblocks. I know that we all remain committed to your learning and to helping you to prepare for your future paths of study and careers. 

I want to remind you of some resources that will be helpful as we navigate this “new normal.”

Please take care of yourself, and please take care of one another. Please know that your physical and mental health are of the utmost importance. As you set priorities, please make sure that family care, connecting with others, sleep, rest, exercise, and healthy eating habits are at the very top of your list.

Please continue to engage in social distancing along with following all local public health recommendations and requirements for your immediate area. For Maryland, a good source of information is https://coronavirus.maryland.gov/.

Finally, please know that you will be supported in every way possible by your faculty, staff, and by me. We will continue to extend grace, understanding, support, and good cheer to one another every day. Our mission, now more than ever, is to Be the Solution to the world’s great challenges. Our teaching and learning will continue, and together we will continue to make a difference.

Sincerely,

Greg Ball

Dean Gregory F. Ball

College of Behavioral and Social Sciences

University of Maryland

dean ball