Coronavirus (COVID-19): Updates & Resources: We will update our community regularly on changes that may impact our community. Learn More
COVID-19

Coronavirus

Updates & Resources

Gordon-Conwell is regularly monitoring the COVID-19 (coronavirus) outbreak.  We will update our community regularly on changes that may impact our life together and our educational mission.  If you have recently traveled, have upcoming travel plans, or are experiencing any symptoms of the virus, we ask that you please fill out this brief information form and refer to the update from March 19th for further instructions.

Let us keep public health officials, healthcare providers, and those affected by the virus in our prayers as we seek the Lord for healing, help and guidance.

View DMIN, HMP, KSP UPDATES

Update from Dr. Sunquist on March 12, 2020

Current Changes on the Hamilton Campus

We have implemented the following below for the health and safety of our community.

March 19, 2020

    1. Classes will continue to meet online through the end of the semester, and we invite you to join us online for chapel.
    2. Graduation activities have been canceled for May. An alternative plan will be announced soon.
    3. Goddard Library will be closing today at 5 pm. Beginning Friday, March 20 at 5 pm, the library will not be open for students to study or check out books, until further notice. For more information, please see the Detailed Library Information section below.
    4. For people returning from traveling over reading week, we ask that you spend 2 weeks in self-isolation if  you were in a high risk country (see this CDC guidance) or if you were in contact with someone with the virus. If you were in a US city that is heavily impacted by the virus, or if you have traveled by airplane or public transportation, please self-isolate for 1 week. Please note this guidance from the CDC on the difficulty of travel presently and use extra precaution.

 

March 16, 2020

    1. Per Governor Baker’s directive, the dining hall will only be able to provide take-out beginning tomorrow, Tuesday, March 17th. Here is additional information from the Mass government.
    2. The Give and Take will be closed for the foreseeable future, as will the women’s workout room on the first floor of Kerr.

March 13, 2020

    1. The President has asked that all employees (student, PT and FT) for whom it is not essential that they be physically on campus work from home through April 3rd.  Please check with your supervisor regarding what is necessary for your position, and HR will also be sending more information by email.
    2. Student Life anticipates being open, and the library and dining hall will remain open.

 

March 12, 2020

      • We will hold all Hamilton campus classes online beginning tomorrow, Friday March 13th through Friday, April 3rd.  We anticipate classes resuming as usual on Monday, April 6th; however we will be closely monitoring the situation.

Here are more details relevant to community life:

      • On campus residents may stay in their rooms or apartments.  Should illness occur, please contact the housing director via email and we may be able to help with self-isolation if needed.
      • The dining hall and library will remain open. We will be eliminating self-service food options for the meantime.
      • We anticipate that chapel services will resume after reading week.
      • Staff will generally still be working as usual.

 

 

March 11, 2020

      • All on-campus recruitment events and gatherings have been canceled until further notice.
      • We will not be sending students on OMP trips over the summer.
      • The Encyclopedia of Global Christianity Conference (held at the Hamilton campus) has been postponed until the fall.
      • The Grant Wacker lectures have been cancelled.

Further updates will be posted as they become available.

Detailed Library Information

Gordon-Conwell is regularly monitoring the COVID-19 (coronavirus) outbreak.  We will update our community regularly on changes that may impact our life together and our educational mission.  We also ask that if you have recently traveled, have upcoming travel plans, or are experiencing any symptoms of the virus, that you please fill out this brief information form: English, Portuguese, Spanish.

Let us keep public health officials, healthcare providers, and those affected by the virus in our prayers as we seek the Lord for healing, help and guidance.

View DMIN, HMP, KSP UPDATES

Update from Dr. Sunquist on March 12, 2020

Current Changes on the Boston Campus

The following measures have been implemented for the health and safety of our community.

March 27, 2020

With new State guidelines in place concerning COVID-19, the physical building of the Boston Campus is now closed until May 4, 2020. Our phone lines and email are still operative during normal hours (10am – 6pm EST) and there is no interruption in instruction. Call the Campus (617-427-7293) or email your inquiries (Registration: [email protected]; Admissions: [email protected]), and our staff will attend to your inquiries.

Other updates:

  • If any member of the CUME community is impacted by COVID-19, please let us know by informing our Registration and Data Assistant, Marie East, at [email protected]
  • Summer Registration officially began March 19th, and the courses are scheduled to start on May 18th. Visit our Registration page for more information.
  • All the courses of the Seminary in the Summer and Fall of 2020 will be taught online. We encourage students to familiarize themselves with necessary digital tools to continue their studies by reviewing tutorials in Canvas. Contact the Digital Education Team at [email protected] with questions.
  • Gordon-Conwell invites you to join us online for chapel on Tuesdays and Wednesdays at 11:10AM on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/pg/GordonConwell/live_videos/).

 

March 23, 2020
The Boston Campus remains closed, but life of CUME as a learning community continues, as we are able to embrace ‘social distancing ’along with ‘digital connectivity’. Our digital office hours are 10:00 am – 6:00 pm.

Other updates:

Academics:

  • Digital Theological Library continues to be available for faculty and student access through Gordon-Conwell’s Library portal (https://library.gordonconwell.edu/home). For library questions and consultation please click here.
  •  All students will be given an extension to the submission deadlines for written work. New deadlines: May 1 for non-graduates and May 11 for graduates.
  • Seniors will graduate on May 9, but Commencement will be rescheduled. More information to come.
  • Summer courses are still scheduled to start on May 18.

Worship and Prayer:

  • Students are encouraged to join Gordon-Conwell Chapel on Tuesdays and Wednesdays at 11:10AM for the rest of Spring Semester on Facebook.

 

March 20, 2020

Because of the changing nature of the coronavirus threat and its potential danger to the GCTS community, the Goddard Library (Hamilton Campus) will be closing today, Friday March 20 at 5 pm. Students will not be able to study or check out books until further notice. For more information, please see the Detailed Library Information section below. Library staff will continue to facilitate your academic work and the library will continue to provide remote support to GCTS students and faculty. Boston Campus students should contact [email protected] with research questions or library needs.

Other updates:

  • Classes will continue to meet online and through other alternative modes of learning until it is safe to return to campus. Please check your GCTS email for updates.
  • Commencement activities will not be held this May at any campus. An alternative plan will soon be announced.

 

March 17, 2020

The Boston Campus has closed the building until it is safe to return to campus. We hope to reopen its doors on Monday, April 6, 2020. Until then, no classes will be held in the building. We are closely monitoring the situation. Please check your GCTS email for all updates.

Here are some additional updates regarding how the Boston Campus will function over the next few weeks:

  • Over the course of Reading Week,  (March 16th to 20th, 2020);  faculty will work on redesigning the remainder of their respective courses so that students will be able to complete their learning by the end of the term. As person-to-person instruction will no longer be possible during this time, faculty will explore alternative modes of learning and directly communicate to the students about the adjustments needed. Live-streaming may be the way for some courses, while for others it could be assigning independent study projects. Each faculty will think through the possible options and inform the students.
  • Due to the current COVID-Virus 19 pandemic, the Bruce Jackson Memorial Library at the Boston campus will be closed. (Note: If the building is closed, then the library is closed).   Students can still access online library resources (see Detailed Library Information). If you have any questions or concerns please feel free to email [email protected]

Please continue to take necessary precautions for the safety of yourself and your family.
We will continue to update you as the situation progresses.

 

March 12, 2020

Physical access to the Bruce Jackson Memorial Library at the Boston campus may be severely limited. If the building is closed, then the library is closed. For more information on accessing library services during this time, please see the Detailed Library Information below.


March 11, 2020

With the rising level of concerns around coronavirus, Gordon-Conwell—Boston is making major effort toward building capacity to learn online and work from home so that our learning can stay uninterrupted in this changing environment.

Please be aware of these timelines:

  • March 12:  On this day campus doors will open at 2 PM for regular services and classes; you may continue to contact staff and faculty via email through the day.
  • March 16-21: Some of our current classes will be designated to test the online-learning experience over the Reading Week (March 16-21); please stay current with your GCTS email for updates.
  • March 23: We ask all students and faculty acquire skills to use Canvas and Zoom well by March 23.

Detailed Library Information

  • The Bruce Jackson Memorial library (Boston Campus) is closed until further notice. The Goddard Library (Hamilton Campus) closes on Friday, March 20 at 5pm.  Students will not be able to study or check out books. Students will be allowed to study in Pierce Great Hall and Alumni Hall while practicing social distance. Check the Gordon-Conwell Library System website https://library.gordonconwell.edu/home regularly for updates regarding services and hours of operation.
  • The library’s home page including access to OPAC (On-line Public Access Catalog) is available at https://library.gordonconwell.edu/home
  • Thousands of eBooks and millions of journal articles are available through the Digital Theological Library (http://digitaltheologicallibrary.org) and the seminary’s other online resources (http://library.gordonconwell.edu/online).
  • Interlibrary loan requests can still be fulfilled if items are available electronically (request items in the library catalog as normal http://library.gordonconwell.edu/interlibraryloan).
  • Request electronic scans of reference materials to be delivered via email (http://library.gordonconwell.edu/requests).
  • Access to your library account (renewing of books) is available through the library’s website under the Account tab. Supply your user name and password and the system will pull a list of your checked-out materials. Renew the items and make sure that you sign out of the system.
  • If you have a reference questions while the library is closed, please send your question to [email protected] (Monday Noon-5 PM) or [email protected]. The Library Director will be monitoring this e-mail address during normal regular library hours (Tuesday-Thursday: 2-9 PM and Saturday (9 AM-4 PM).
  • No proctoring of exams will be possible.

Gordon-Conwell is regularly monitoring the COVID-19 (coronavirus) outbreak.  We will update our community regularly on changes that may impact our life together and our educational mission.  We also ask that if you have recently traveled, have upcoming travel plans, or are experiencing any symptoms of the virus, that you please fill out this brief information form.

Let us keep public health officials, healthcare providers, and those affected by the virus in our prayers as we seek the Lord for healing, help and guidance.

View DMIN, HMP, KSP UPDATES

Update from Dr. Sunquist on March 12, 2020

Current Changes on the Charlotte Campus

March 23, 2020
Dr. Sunquist and the leadership of the seminary have made the difficult decision that we will not be holding commencement this May on any of the campuses. They are considering ways to honor and celebrate the accomplishments of the students. This includes the option for celebrations on the campuses at a later date. Degrees will still be conferred in May for those graduating.

All spring residencies will all meet digitally. Students should check Canvas for instruction and updates from their professors.

March 18, 2020
The Harold Lindsell Library will close at 5:00 pm today, March 18, 2020 until further notice. Please reach out to [email protected] if you have research questions or library needs.

March 16, 2020

New library hours in Charlotte: Effective, immediately, library hours for in-person use of the library will be reduced to the following:

Monday-Friday: noon – 5 PM
Saturday (including tomorrow): closed

The library staff will be working their regular hours and will be able to assist you electronically ([email protected]) or by phone (704-527-9909, ext. 5820).

March 12, 2020

  • Alumni Forum in Charlotte scheduled for April 23 has been postponed.
  • GCTS (Hamilton) is cancelling (overseas) OMP over the summer. This is a Hamilton based course that may affect some of our students.

Gordon-Conwell is regularly monitoring the COVID-19 (coronavirus) outbreak.  We will update our community regularly on changes that may impact our life together and our educational mission.  We also ask that if you have recently traveled, have upcoming travel plans, or are experiencing any symptoms of the virus, that you please fill out this brief information form.

Let us keep public health officials, healthcare providers, and those affected by the virus in our prayers as we seek the Lord for healing, help and guidance.

View DMIN, HMP, KSP UPDATES

Update from Dr. Sunquist on March 12, 2020

CURRENT CHANGES ON THE JACKSONVILLE CAMPUS

We have implemented the following below for the health and safety of our community.

March 24, 2020

  • Dr. Sunquist and the leadership of the seminary have made the difficult decision that we will not be holding commencement this May at any campus. They are considering ways to honor and celebrate the accomplishments of the students. This includes the opportunity for celebrations at the campuses at a later date.  Degrees will still be conferred in May for those graduating.
  • The libraries across all the campuses are closed, so Interlibrary Loans (ILL) are no longer available. However, requests for scans and other materials are still available if you cannot find the information in the DTL (Digital Theological Library).
  • As a reminder, please continue to check for updates to your courses individually in Canvas as things progress.

March 12, 2020

  • We will hold all Jacksonville campus classes online beginning tomorrow, Friday March 13th through the end of the month.  We anticipate classes resuming as usual on Friday, April 3rd; however we will be closely monitoring the situation.

 

Here are more details relevant to community life:

  • The Open Lecture “Holy Cow: Idolatry and the Human Heart” scheduled for March 27th is postponed until further notice.
  • The ISBCE Symposium scheduled for March 21st is cancelled.
  • The Jacksonville Campus Library will remain open for student access.

Further updates will be posted as they become available.

Health Precautions

We continue to exhort each member of the community to do their part in caring for the whole community.  Helpful ways to do that include:

  • Washing your hands with soap and water often (use hand sanitizer if not possible).
  • Covering coughs and sneezes.
  • Wearing a face mask if you are sick.
  • Cleaning and disinfecting frequently touched services daily.
  • Calling your doctor if you begin to experience symptoms. Please self-isolate at home if you are ill—this applies to staff, faculty and students.
  • Avoiding close contact with people who are sick.

 

Travel Precautions

  • Students, faculty and staff: If you have recently traveled, have upcoming travel plans, or are experiencing any symptoms of the virus, please fill out this brief information form. Your responses will be confidential and shared only with the pandemic influenza planning committee.
  • If you have recently traveled to one of the affected areas, please also follow the CDC’s guidelines.

Other Resources

We encourage you to regularly seek updates from the CDC, World Health Organization, as well as your state’s department of health: Mass Gov; North Carolina DHHS; and Florida Dept. of Health.

The CDC has a helpful resource on how to keep spaces safe

A Christian Response to Pandemics

Read the Blog Post by President Sunquist