Announcement from the Rector 17 March 2020

Announcement from the Rector to students and staff on 17 March

"Dear students and staff,

The University of Iceland Emergency Response Board met this morning (17 March 2020) to discuss matters relating to COVID-19.

The Emergency Response Board would like to thank everyone again for having responded so positively to these unfamiliar circumstances. It is vital that staff comply with instructions and do not let students or guests into University buildings. The government's measures were introduced to ensure our collective wellbeing and to reduce the chances of infection.

This is the first week of the assembly ban and we are all adjusting to the new situation and getting to grips with the new reality. Teaching staff are hard at work reorganising courses into digital format and progress is exceeding expectations. We all owe a debt of gratitude to the teachers and other staff who have done their very best to respond to this enormous challenge. We encourage students to remain patient and flexible.

In the current circumstances it is natural to experience anxiety or other emotions that may be difficult to deal with. Advice to students from psychologists at the Student Counselling and Career Centre can be found on the University website. We would also remind students to take advantage of the available web chat services.

At the University of Iceland, we will continue to do our utmost to ensure that students are able to complete their studies and exams for the spring semester, as highlighted in the Rector's address. Teaching is currently being reorganised within schools and faculties; students will be sent further information as soon as it is available.

General information can be found on the University of Iceland's COVID-19 web page, which is updated regularly.

Let's stay in touch with one other and support one other as best we can.

Together we will prevail.

Best regards,
Jón Atli Benediktsson, Rector"