"Dear alumni, I wanted to reach out to you in these extraordinary times to give you my very best wishes on behalf of the Erasmus University - but also to let you know about the steps that we are taking to maintain continuity of education for our students."
"Over the past weeks and in the weeks ahead we have been communicating as clearly as we can with our students and staff, understanding that they are concerned and bewildered by these sudden and unprecedented changes in their higher education. We are taking rapid steps across the board to move our teaching online and we are currently working to develop ways to assess our students instead of the ‘live’ exams that they will have been expecting.
Many of us are parents and know first-hand how difficult this is for our students and how important it is that we respond rapidly, clearly and fairly. We are doing so."
Among you there will be those of you on the frontlines as clinicians and researchers working to safe guard the health of the nation wherever you are in the world.
"These times have had a profound effect on all of us and I wanted to let you know how very proud we are of our incredible global alumni community. Among you there will be those of you on the frontlines as clinicians and researchers working to safe guard the health of the nation wherever you are in the world. There will be CEO’s maintaining the supply chains keeping vital businesses running at a time when this is so very important. So many of you playing pivotal roles in these challenging times and not just in The Netherlands but around the world.
In the months ahead, networks and community will be ever more important and I wanted to let you know that at the start of the year, the board of the university had taken the decision to build our alumni engagement capability with the creation of a new team of professionals who will work with schools, faculty, students and alumni to create a truly engaged alumni community.
This decision seems ever more important now in these unprecedented times. The value of a global network of Erasmians supporting each other and our future graduates in what will be tough economic times will be just one way in which Erasmus can contribute to our international community, in partnership with you, our alumni.
I want you to know that we are thinking of you and looking ahead to better times. A time which will be different and where your support, advice and incredible collective expertise and continued engagement will be ever more important."
Hans Smits
Chairman, Executive Board