We would like to thank all students, staff, alumni, friends and partners for heeding our – and all of Uppsala’s – appeal to act responsibly on 30 April. A few months ago, no one would have believed a Walpurgis Eve in Uppsala could pass almost unnoticed like this. But the fact that we took responsibility together and avoided crowding this holiday was an important action, for the vulnerable, health services staff and society in general. You will all be welcome on 30 April 2021.
Today the decision to conduct education remotely was extended to apply for the rest of the semester, until 7 June. To ensure the best possible decision about arrangements in the summer, we expect to take a fresh decision in the second half of May, and then at some point in the summer we will decide about the start of the autumn semester. Although everyone likes to plan ahead, we think it is wise to avoid committing ourselves in the longer term; the virus situation and infection control measures can change in a few weeks/months.
If, as we all hope, the restrictions are relaxed and education on campus becomes fully or partially possible again, the return to campus will be managed in a sensible and practicable manner, taking local conditions in the University into account. This kind of flexibility will enable us, as a university, to make use of our experiences and lessons learned from this very demanding period. It may help us develop the quality of our educational programmes, for example, by choosing to retain digital elements that have proved preferable, while making the most of the important face-to-face interactions on campus.
None of us will forget this year, but if we can persevere and then, in the summer, find time for reflection and inspiration, our University can emerge from the crisis with renewed ambition and with wind in our sails.