Saint Mary’s University will keep the transmission level on our COVID-19 dashboard to green or low for the time being. Despite the rising numbers of positive cases in Winona County, the situation at Saint Mary’s continues to be manageable; our quarantine capacity remains strong; and contact tracing is working.
The United States Congress recently passed the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. As a part of this legislation, colleges and universities have been allocated federal funds to provide student emergency grants for expenses related to the disruption of campus operations due to the coronavirus. Saint Mary’s University received an allocation of $830,548 for student emergency grants.
Saint Mary’s University has partnered with Chartwells for more than a decade to provide student food and catering services on the Winona Campus. Over the past year, Chartwells has worked with the university to develop plans for renovations and expanded meal plan options.
With the strategic growth of online programs and the move to online course delivery brought on by COVID-19, Saint Mary’s has made the decision to cease operations at the Apple Valley Center effective May 31, 2020.
Saint Mary’s continues to respond to and anticipate the impact COVID-19 has and will have on our community and take appropriate action. In light of the decision made by Governor Tim Walz to extend Minnesota’s “stay at home” order through Monday, May 4, and to continue safeguarding the well-being of our students, faculty, staff, and communities, the university has made several important decisions.