Mid-South Conference Commissioner Eric Ward announced today the postponement of fall sports to spring 2021. The decision gives each institution autonomy to play non-conference games this fall.

The decision from the Mid-South stems from the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics' (NAIA) announcement to move fall championships to the spring on July 31. The Mid-South Conference administrative council came to the conclusion with the approval from the MSC Council of Presidents. 

"Our main objective is to keep our student-athletes safe and healthy,” said Ron Pavan, Vice President for Enrollment Services and Director of Athletics. “Their well-being is the key to our success in athletics. Our theme this year is agility as we continue to make changes and pivot in the non-conference competition this fall based upon state, local, and regional guidelines." 

Men's and women's soccer, women's volleyball, men's and women's cross country, and football will play their regular-season conference games in the spring with championships to follow.

Conference regular season and tournament dates will be decided when the NAIA releases national championship dates.

The entire Cumberland community has worked tirelessly to respond to the COVID pandemic and plan for the short and long-term impacts that will be left in its wake.

This plan outlines efforts by the university community, led by the Campus Reopening Planning (CROP) Team to manage a safe return to campus in August. Our number one goal is keeping our campus community safe, while simultaneously providing you the on-ground college experience that is so important to your success.

The safety of our campus community is the responsibility of all of us. All students, faculty and staff will be required to monitor symptoms daily and sign a social contract agreeing to abide by policies and behaviors put in place to limit the spread of the virus.

As previously announced, we have modified the academic calendar for the fall semester. Classes will start Monday, August 17 and end Wednesday, November 25. In addition to this, CU has decided to implement an A/B schedule for all undergraduate students to limit the total volume of students on campus.

• A-Schedule: Students with last names beginning with A-K will be on campus for classes Mondays and Tuesdays and online Wednesdays and Thursdays.
• B-Schedule: Students with last names beginning with L-Z will be online for classes Mondays and Tuesdays and on campus Wednesdays and Thursdays
• Professors are able to decide if their classes will meet synchronously or asynchronously
• All exceptions to this A/B schedule are listed in the attached plan

You should note that virus response recommendations are changing regularly and these guidelines are also subject to change. Please continue to check your CU email and the coronavirus webpage on the CU website to stay up to date on the most recent guidelines.

You can view the Campus Reopening Plan on the Cumberland website here: XXX. If you have any questions regarding the plan, please email questions@cumberland.edu.

I look forward to seeing you all on campus, safely soon.

President Paul Stumb

Cumberland has altered the Fall 2020 academic calendar. The semester will now begin Monday, August 17 and end Wednesday, November 25. With this change, the Labor Day holiday and fall break will be cancelled and classes will meet on those days.

To view the updated academic calendar, visit https://www.cumberland.edu/calendar/academic-calendar/. 

We will be holding our Commencement ceremony on Saturday, June 20 for all graduates.

Our primary objectives are to deliver a safe, valuable and memorable experience for our honored graduates. However, due to COVID-19 precautions, the ceremony will look very different this year than in years prior. We are limiting the ceremony to graduates only, no guests will be allowed to attend.

CU will reopen campus to all students, faculty and staff for the Fall 2020 semester.

In addition, CU will compete in all sporting events for the 2020-2021 season.

CU has received $960,321 in Federal grant funds for Cumberland to distribute directly to undergraduate students facing significant financial challenges due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

For more information on eligibility, visit cumberland.edu/caresact/

CU was approved for a Coronavirus Aid Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act Grant. This grant, from the U.S. Dept. of Education as part of the CARES Act Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund, will be used to directly support students who have demonstrated need and are facing significant financial challenges due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

All summer classes will be taught in an online format. This includes May term, Summer 1, Summer 2 and Full Summer terms.

Based on Executive Orders from Governor Lee, beginning Monday, April 6, 2020 the library facility will be closed until April 14. Resources and librarians will be available to help students and faculty remotely.

Additionally, all classes beginning in May will be in an online learning format.

At this moment, Cumberland is fortunate not to have any confirmed cases on our campus. Several members of the CU family have, however, lost loved ones or been otherwise disaffected by this aggressive disease. Our hearts go out to those of you who have suffered these losses. If there is anything that CU can do to assist you or your loved ones, please do not hesitate to reach out to me directly.

In response to the CDC guidelines and Governor Lee’s Executive Orders, CU has made the following decisions, with the well-being of our CU family in mind:

• In accordance with Gov. Lee’s most recent Executive Order, the Phillip’s Dining Hall and the LCC Kiosk will now be open for takeout only. Students, faculty and staff are welcome to continue to use these facilities, but are encouraged to be mindful in regard to social distancing and to only eat (or gather for any other reason) in groups of 10 or less.
• The Commencement ceremony originally scheduled for May 2, 2020 will be postponed to June 20, 2020. Due to the constantly changing situation, this date is also subject to change, based on government orders and recommendations from the CDC, but an official confirmation of this date will be made in May.
  • The Nursing Pinning Ceremony will take place on the evening of Friday, June 19. Details on time and location will be announced soon.
  • The Commencement ceremony on Saturday, June 20 will be held at 10:00 a.m. on Memorial Hall Lawn (weather permitting) for all degrees - associate, bachelors and masters.

• The Phoenix Ball, originally scheduled for June 6, 2020 will be postponed to August 1, 2020. This date is also subject to change, based on government orders and recommendations from the CDC. More information on the Phoenix Ball can be found at phoenixball.com.

This is a difficult time, and I want to encourage all of you to look for opportunities to help those around you. I’m constantly inspired by the many ways our CU family is assisting our community. Faculty and students alike are helping each other every day with the transition to online courses; our Rudy School of Nursing and Health Professions donated a stockpile of personal protective equipment (PPE) to the National Guard; and many of our nursing faculty and students have registered to assist at Vanderbilt Wilson County Hospital should that need arise.

We can all find ways to help. Call to check on a family member or friend, offer to help your neighbor with groceries, donate to a local food bank or support your local small businesses -  the little things matter, especially now.

Please continue to check your CU email for updates. Thank you for your patience and understanding during this critical time.

As of Thursday, March 26 all campus events through April 30, 2020 have been postponed indefinitely.

As of Thursday, March 19 there are no confirmed cases within the Cumberland community.

A CU football player was tested, and the test came back negative.

Cumberland University athletics in conjunction with the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) announced today that it is canceling the spring 2020 sports season, effective immediately.

“All possible scenarios that would have supported a spring sports season were seriously considered by multiple NAIA governance groups,” said NAIA President and CEO Jim Carr. “However, the growing state of emergency due to COVID-19, as well as the Center for Disease Control’s recommendation yesterday to limit gatherings to fewer than 50 people for eight weeks, meant we could not in good conscience move forward with the spring sports season and championships.”

"The announcement today of the NAIA canceling spring 2020 sports season has impacted our campus, but we agree with the NAIA and understand the Coronavirus (COVID-19) must be taken very seriously." Director of Athletics Ron Pavan said. "In athletics, we understand that we must overcome many obstacles to be successful on and off the fields and courts."

All spring sport student-athletes will not be charged with a season of competition. Any spring sport athlete that was enrolled full-time in 2020 will be given two additional semesters or the equivalent.

The safety of our student-athletes, coaches and spectators are of our utmost importance and we will comply with the CDC recommendation as the coronavirus sweeps across the United States.

Cumberland University is constantly reevaluating the situation and continue to provide the most up-to-date information.

In response to the rapidly evolving Coronavirus/COVID-19 situation, we want to keep you informed on Cumberland’s decisions to keep our campus community safe. 

There are currently no confirmed cases of coronavirus within our campus community or in Wilson County. Given the decision by the World Health Organization to declare the spread of COVID-19 as a global pandemic, we are implementing several contingency options in an effort to coincide with the CDC’s recommendation of social distancing.

Beginning Monday, March 16, we are suspending in-person classes and will transition to remote course delivery through CANVAS, e-mail or other alternate methods through the end of the spring semester. All faculty have been provided training for this transition, but we appreciate your patience and understanding as we work to make this switch as seamless as possible for our students. It is imperative that students monitor their Cumberland e-mail accounts and communicate with professors through e-mail and CANVAS.

Since we realize that some on-campus students cannot easily travel home, our residence halls will remain open and dining facilities will operate on a modified schedule with limited services for increased safety. Our Office of Residence Life will reach out shortly to our residential students with more information on these services. 

At this time all university offices will remain open as usual. We urge employees to take the appropriate prevention measures as described on our website, www.cumberland.edu/coronavirus/. 

Key Takeaways:

• Beginning Monday, March 16 all on-ground classes will transition to an online learning format for the rest of the spring semester
• Residence halls will remain open at this time and dining services will continue to operate on a modified schedule with limited services for increased safety
• All university staff and academic offices, including the library, will remain open at this time. Please contact professors or tutoring services directly with specific questions before coming to campus
• All campus events, including athletic practices and games, have been postponed through at least March 31, 2020
• All university sponsored travel has been discontinued through March 31, 2020
• Any student or employee who is ill or who believes they may have been exposed to the virus should self-quarantine and contact Joe Gray at jgray@cumberland.edu or 615-547-1255 
• Continue to check your Cumberland email and www.cumberland.edu/coronavirus/ for updates

Our COVID-19 task force will continue to meet regularly and monitor the situation in an attempt to make decisions that keep our students, faculty and staff as safe as possible while continuing our commitment to higher education. 

Thank you for your patience and understanding during this critical time. 

From the NAIA Mid-South Conference:

"Mid-South Conference officials announced today the suspension of all athletic events through the end of March.

The decision comes based on the continuing developments across the landscape of athletics from the effects of COVID-19.

“In an effort to make the most well-informed decisions regarding the health and safety of our student-athletes, coaches, and staff due to the developments surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic, the Mid-South Conference has decided to suspend all competition at least through the end of March,” MSC Commissioner Eric Ward said. “The situation is evolving at a dizzying pace and decisions are currently being made based on incomplete and/or rapidly changing information. Conference leadership will be convening by conference call twice each week during this time period to evaluate the most recently available information and developments within the sports industry, as well as up-to-the-minute information from the NAIA and our campuses to determine the best path forward for our conference.”

The Mid-South Conference recommends fans continue to follow the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines. Visit https://www.cdc.gov/ for updates."

We want to keep you all informed on Cumberland’s response to the evolving Coronavirus/COVID-19 situation.

We currently have no confirmed cases of coronavirus within our campus community. Rumors to the contrary are simply untrue.

In addition to following the CDC guidelines for handwashing and surface cleaning, Cumberland has determined that implementing the following decisions will help limit the possibility for exposure and spread of the virus without compromising our commitment to teaching our students.

As of today, March 11, all classes will continue to meet as regularly scheduled and all offices will maintain normal operations.

• All non-athletic events scheduled through March 31 have been postponed indefinitely. We are reviewing the events list and will announce new dates or cancellations as decisions are made.
• All university-sponsored travel, with the exception of athletics, will be cancelled through March 31 and travel beyond that date will be re-evaluated in the coming weeks.
• All official university communications and updates will come to your Cumberland email address and will also be posted on the website at cumberland.edu/coronavirus

Any student or employee who is ill or who believes they may have been exposed to the virus should self-quarantine and contact Joe Gray at jgray@cumberland.edu or 615-547-1255. When seeking medical attention, please call your healthcare provider prior to going in to avoid contact with others.

Cumberland is aware that we must be prepared for the possibility of a localized outbreak. In such case, it may be necessary to suspend in-person meetings and instruction for a period of time. We are actively working with faculty and staff over the next few days to prepare for the possibility of implementing alternative teaching arrangements.

To help limit the spread of the virus, we are restricting access to the Phillip’s Dining Hall to only students, faculty and staff. We are also eliminating self-serve stations of the dining hall including the salad bar. The dessert station will contain only individually-wrapped items.

The university has put together a task force which is meeting regularly to monitor the situation, take precautionary measures and prepare plans in the event of a case being identified on campus.

Please continue to monitor your Cumberland email as well as our Cumberland Coronavirus webpage. This webpage also offers additional information on the virus and prevention that may be helpful.

Finally, we ask for your patience and understanding as we seek to make the best decisions possible to help keep everyone in our community healthy and safe, while also doing our part to help mitigate the spread of COVID-19.

If you have questions that are not urgent, we ask you to wait for further communication that may address your concerns. If you do have an urgent question, please contact Joe Gray at jgray@cumberland.edu or 615-547-1255.