Dear AU Community,

Please note: This message was originally scheduled for Monday afternoon. Given yesterday’s campus emergency alert and the priority of community safety, we moved this update to Tuesday morning.

How AU works is a critical element of enhancing the student experience, advancing our educational mission, building community, and supporting our teams. Fostering a collaborative, productive, and engaged workplace is directly connected to how students and our teams experience AU and succeed together. A thriving campus community is critical to meeting our students’ needs and building our culture. We can improve our students' experience and support our teams through increased on-campus presence and provide a greater sense of belonging, connection, and well-being. 

With these goals in mind, we evaluated our hybrid work approach. Building on the lessons of the past three years and focusing on providing the highest-quality service and support for our students, we are updating our hybrid work modalities. Beginning January 1, 2025, AU staff will work 3, 4, or 5 days per week on campus and/or in our additional facilities (e.g., Spring Valley Building, Tenley Campus, 3201 New Mexico Avenue, 4401 Connecticut Avenue, 4200 Wisconsin Avenue, etc.). Specific schedules and whether 3, 4, or 5 days will be required will be determined by schools, colleges, and administrative units.

For our teams, coming together regularly in person to collaborate and advance priorities, build community, and enjoy opportunities for the social and spontaneous aspects of work will strengthen our culture and enhance both professional and personal connections. The revised modality framework continues to provide flexible remote work opportunities for many staff. Some team members may also have the option of flex work schedules with the approval of their supervisor. There will be a small number of limited exemptions in the updated modality framework based on a narrow set of job functions, which will be determined and approved by the Provost, Vice President, or Dean as appropriate.

We understand this will be a change for some of our teams. We will use the remainder of the fall semester to implement this transition smoothly and consistently, answer questions, and make necessary updates to support our teams. Over the next several weeks, schools, colleges, and administrative units will work with their teams to update modalities and schedules. All staff will be informed of their new modality by early November and updated hybrid work agreement forms will be completed by January 1, 2025. We know there are questions about work modality in different periods in the year (e.g., summer) and additional guidance will be provided as we move forward.

The Human Resources Community Forums on October 15 and October 17 provide opportunities for additional discussion about HR initiatives, including the new modality framework. Thank you for your engagement in this important update that will help us continue advancing our student-focused mission and our commitment to our people.

Sincerely,

Jonathan R. Alger
President

Vicky Wilkins
Acting Provost and Chief Academic Officer

Sarah Baldassaro
Chief of Staff and Counselor to the President

Matt Bennett
Vice President and Chief Communications Officer

Bronté Burleigh-Jones
CFO, Vice President, and Treasurer

Traevena Byrd
Vice President, General Counsel, and Board Secretary

JM Caparro
Director, Athletics and Recreation

Nkenge Friday
Vice President, Inclusive Excellence

Dan Luperchio
Interim Vice President, University Advancement

Steve Munson
Vice President and Chief Information Officer

Raymond Ou
Vice President, Student Affairs

Evelyn Thimba
Vice President, Undergraduate Enrollment Management