Update March 17, 2020 - President Nora Miller has released a video message on The W's response to the COVID-19 outbreak.
Dear Campus,
Late yesterday afternoon, the Governor of Mississippi entered two executive orders: Executive Order 1458 and 1459. EO 1459 mobilizes the Mississippi National Guard to assist state and local civil authorities with setting up testing facilities. EO 1458 requires, in part, the university to identify which employees perform essential duties to carry out our core functions and where feasible, to allow these employees to work from home. We are fortunate that we began that work first thing Monday morning. At The W, every employee and the work you do is essential to our mission, now more than ever. While many of you would prefer to work from the office, our task now is to minimize physical interaction with others to mitigate the risk of possible transmission between employees and the community.
Please continue to work thoughtfully and diligently to complete your telecommuting agreements with your supervisor and implement those plans as soon as you can. Supervisors be as accommodating and lenient as these plans are put into action and prioritize tasks that are essential to the core functions of the university during this time of the declared State of Emergency. It will not be perfect, and we will have to work together as we adapt to whatever the circumstances dictate.
Non-exempt employees will need to continue to document the hours they work each day (whether this is paper time log or recorded in Banner). During these unprecedented times, all employees who are unable to work for any reason will be placed on administrative leave with pay.
We expect more guidance to come from IHL this week. Please check our coronavirus 19 response page on the website regularly for updates. Questions can be submitted to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and we will direct your questions to the appropriate office for response.
Take care of yourself and your family – we will get through this!
And, on another note – Happy St. Patrick’s Day, and Erin Go Bragh!
Nora Miller
President, Mississippi University for Women