Emergency Alerts

In the event of an emergency requiring immediate campus-wide communication, official information and instructions will be posted to this page.

Campus Messages

 

 

Message shared with Campus Community on Friday, Jan. 23 at 2:30 p.m.

Operating Status for Monday, Jan. 26

Dear Campus Community,

Due to the latest winter weather forecast, which is calling for snow, sleet, ice, and freezing temperatures, we are writing to communicate our operating status for Monday, Jan. 26, will be as follows:

CLASSES AND EVENTS

All classes and events are canceled for Monday, Jan. 26. This decision best supports the safety and well-being of our campus community. 

Students and faculty should prepare for the possibility of remote learning in subsequent days.

CAMPUS SERVICES

We are focused on providing essential services, including dining, public safety, and power plant operations. The Dining Services team will prioritize opening the Heilman Dining Center and ETC but will need to adjust hours. All retail dining locations will be closed on Sunday, Jan. 25, and Monday, Jan. 26.

Adjustments to campus services will be posted at alert.richmond.edu.  

EMPLOYEES

• Designated essential personnel should coordinate their on-campus work schedules with their supervisor.
• Supervisors may need to designate additional essential employees to meet operating needs and should communicate expectations as soon as possible. Supervisors can reach out to their VP, dean, or HR business partner if they need support. 
• Non-essential personnel are not required to work on campus or remotely on Monday, Jan. 26. Employees should be prepared for the possibility of remote work starting on Tuesday. 
• Student employees scheduled to work Monday, Jan. 26, should reach out to their supervisor to confirm expectations.

Thank you for your commitment to our campus community. We hope this advance notice of our operating status for Monday will allow everyone to plan accordingly.

Please continue to monitor your email, alert.richmond.edu, the hotline (804-289-8760), and local media for updates. If you have not already signed up for UR Alert, please do so here to ensure you receive the latest campus updates.

Should power outages or external factors impact the ability to send and receive email messages, we will continue to provide updates on alert.richmond.edu and via the UR Alert text messaging system, as long as possible. You can also contact the non-emergency line for URPD at (804) 289-8715.

We intend to communicate plans for Tuesday, Jan. 27, on Monday after we assess the weather impact to campus.  

Thank you for your flexibility. Take good care of yourself.

Sincerely,

Dave Hale
Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer

Joan Saab
Executive Vice President and Provost

Geraldine Sullivan
Chief Human Resources Officer

Todd Adams
Vice President for Student Development

****

Note: Due to a widespread Microsoft outage on the afternoon of Jan. 22, we have been made aware that some in our community did not receive the messages below, which were shared around 1:30 p.m. Apologies for any inconvenience. Thanks in advance for your understanding.  

Message shared with all faculty and staff on Jan. 22, 2026, at 1:30 p.m.

Preparing for Winter Weather Impacts

Dear Colleagues, 

As you are likely aware, a major winter storm is expected to affect our region beginning this weekend with potential continuing impacts into next week.

We are closely monitoring the forecast and intend to be in touch by no later than Sunday afternoon with our operating plans for Monday, Jan. 26, once we have a clearer picture of how our campus will be impacted. 

We are writing at this time to provide some guidance on how you can also best prepare.

Planning Ahead

• Faculty should be prepared if classes are not able to be held in person early next week. This preparation should include the possibility of implementing remote learning options or providing an asynchronous assignment; however, if this weather event leads to widespread power outages, remote learning options may not be possible. Faculty should share their expectations with students should these scenarios be necessary. 
• All staff and faculty should plan for the possibility of remote work on Monday and should take home anything they might need should we need to do so.
• In anticipation of this weather event, supervisors may need to designate additional essential employees to meet on-campus operating needs. We encourage all supervisors to share expectations for ensuring continuity of work, both on and off campus. Supervisors are encouraged to reach out to their VP, dean, or HR Business Partner if they need support. 

Winter Weather Preparedness

Some tips to prepare for winter weather include: 

• Make sure your devices are charged, including portable chargers. 
• Create a home emergency preparedness kit with extra water, food, medications, batteries, flashlights, and blankets. 
• Also consider creating a car emergency kit with jumper cables, sand/kitty litter, warm clothes, flashlight, water, and snacks.
• Additional winter weather preparedness tips are available here. 

We will continue to communicate any updates, including when we know more about our operating status for Monday. Students have received a similar message, which is posted below for your awareness. 

Sincerely, 

Dave Hale
Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer

Joan Saab
Executive Vice President and Provost

Geraldine Sullivan
Chief Human Resources Officer

*****

Message shared with all students on Jan. 22, 2026 at 1:30 p.m.

Preparing for Winter Weather Impacts

Dear Students, 

The University is closely monitoring the major winter storm expected to affect our region and campus starting this weekend. The weather event, which may include snow, sleet, ice, and freezing temperatures, could impact our area into next week. 

We will communicate operating plans by Sunday afternoon once we have a more concrete idea of the impact of the weather to our area. Today, we are writing to provide guidance on how you can best prepare ahead of the expected weather. 

Winter Weather Preparedness

• Make sure your devices are charged, including portable chargers. 
• Students living on campus should please keep windows closed as the freezing temperatures could negatively impact pipes, toilets, and other items in your residence hall. 
• Consider creating an emergency preparedness kit with water, food, medications, blankets, batteries, and flashlights.
  • You can pick up a free flashlight (while supplies last) and snow safety educational materials from 12-2 p.m. tomorrow (Friday) at the Heilman Dining Center. The Emergency Management team will be tabling.

• If you plan to stock up on supplies, please do so today (Thursday) or tomorrow (Friday) before the winter weather is expected to begin. The Daily Connector schedule can be found here. 

We are focused on providing essential services such as dining, public safety, and power plant operations during the impending winter weather. Updates to various campus services will be posted on alert.richmond.edu. 

We will be in touch with any updates and when we know more about our operating status for Monday.

Sincerely, 

Todd Adams
Vice President for Student Development