**Sent to all alumni, parents, friends**
Dear Lehigh alumni, parents, and friends,
Yesterday, March 12, President John Simon shared the following message with students, parents, faculty, and staff regarding Lehigh’s response to the COVID-19 situation and the measures the university is taking to mitigate its impact. The response, designed with the health and safety of our entire Lehigh community at the forefront, calls for a move to remote learning for the remainder of the semester as well as restrictions on events and staff travel. For previous messages and to see the latest updates, visit https://www2.lehigh.edu/news/updates-on-novel-coronavirus.
Alumni events, of course, are significantly affected. On-campus alumni events are being canceled or postponed, as well as regional and off-campus events. We will be in touch with alumni who are registered for events that are being changed. We will keep you informed about any changes to Commencement, scheduled for May 18, and Reunion, scheduled for June 4-7.
While we are not able to bring our community together physically right now, I hope you see this as a time to connect and support each other personally. We encourage you to reach out to each other by email, social media, and through our platform at LehighConnects.
All of our students have been disrupted by the necessary response to COVID-19. For some students, it is causing a catastrophic financial emergency. A Student Support Fund has been established to aid undergraduate and graduate students with unexpected and urgent expenses related to the impacts of COVID-19. This fund will make available critical resources for immediate needs like housing assistance for students who are not able to return to their homes, the shipment of textbooks and essential items, airfare for emergency travel, WiFi access, and other unexpected expenses. A cross-university team is working to identify students with needs, to respond to requests, and to direct financial assistance to ensure the greatest impact.
These are difficult times for us all. Please take care of yourself and others. While we cannot anticipate all of the impacts of this virus, we do know Lehigh people are strong and resilient and that we will navigate these challenging times together. I look forward to the next time we are able to gather as a community.
Sincerely,
Joseph Buck
Vice President, Development and Alumni Relations