Babson Community Coronavirus Update

Writer

Kait Smith Lanthier

Kait Smith Lanthier is the Director, Content Strategy at Babson College and the Managing Editor of Babson Thought & Action. Her writing has appeared in print and online in a variety of outlets including USA Today, Yahoo Shine, YourTango, CosmoGirl, and First for Women magazine. Smith earned her undergraduate degree in journalism and graduate degree in integrated marketing, both from Marist College.

| April 3, 2020

Listen

“I believe the most important thing we can do for each other is to be there, to stay connected, and to lean into our community, even when it feels too much to handle.”

President Stephen Spinelli Jr. MBA’92, PhD

By the Numbers

280+: community members watched 18 semifinalists pitch in the Virtual Venture Expo: B.E.T.A. Challenge Semifinals
70,000: Face shields produced each week, a production goal for Bauer, led by CEO and Babson alumnus Ed Kinnaly ’87
80: MSEL students making the most of their new virtual reality

Community Updates

Commencement survey. Members of the community are asked to share their ideas for innovative and safe ways to recognize the class of 2020—both virtually and in person—by emailing classof2020@babson.edu or by completing a form on the Babson website by April 3.

Stay at Home Mandate. Earlier this week, Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker extended the Stay at Home mandate, which directs all non-essential businesses to stay closed, through May 4. Babson College is permitted to have essential personnel working on campus to support student needs and distance learning under this order. “We continue to have a responsibility to do what we can to slow the spread of COVID-19 and protect others from this disease. To that end, we will continue the directives we have previously announced, as we work together to flatten the impact of this pandemic,” said Spinelli in an email to faculty and staff.

Community Forum. At a virtual community forum on March 27, Babson College leaders remained hopeful about the College’s path in these unprecedented times. During the forum, President Spinelli, Lawrence P. Ward, vice president for student affairs and dean of students, Ken Matsuno, dean of faculty; and Kelly Lynch, chief of staff and vice president of strategic initiatives, answered questions and updated viewers on the college’s response to the coronavirus pandemic. The full forum is available to watch online.

Full details on all community updates can be found at babson.edu/coronavirus.

Resources and Support

Virtual Support Groups. Babson Health & Wellness kicked off various virtual support groups via Webex. All groups are open, drop in, and held in Eastern Time, with topics like “Seniors,” “Disrupted Abroad,” and “If You’re Sick” among others.

Academic Resources. The Writing Center is one of many academic resources that have shifted online. Full details on all of the Babson resources available remotely can be found on the Virtual Campus site.

Babson Discover. Babson has launched a webinar series that will help all of us discover innovative ways to solve the unique challenges we face in these unprecedented times. The series includes programming from Babson’s centers and institutes, Babson Executive Education, and more.

Faculty and Staff Support. “We want to ensure our employees are trying to take care of themselves, while they continue to care for their loved ones,” said Donna Bonaparte, vice president of human resources, in an email to faculty and staff. Bonaparte reminded employees to take advantage of EAP provider KGA, available as a resource 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Posted in Community

Tagged Campus

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