Public Safety is tracking a significant snowfall that will be arriving in our area late Sunday morning (Jan. 25). It will snow heavily throughout the day and evening eventually tapering off Monday (Jan. 26) with 10-14 inches expected statewide. A sleet and freezing rain mix is also possible along the shore. Temperatures will be in the teens and twenties.
Due to this significant winter storm and the extensive campus clean-up operations that will need to take place, all in-person day and evening classes scheduled for Monday, January 26, 2026 have been cancelled. All scheduled in-person classes will transition to being held online or remotely. Additional information on the virtual format for each class will be provided by your instructor.
Faculty have been asked to prepare for Online or Remote sessions in the event of in-person meeting cancellations. These options will be determined by the Faculty member and all questions should be directed to the Faculty teaching each course section. Faculty also have been asked to be very understanding and accommodating of the individual situations of their students who may have difficulty managing these alternative online or remote class meetings on short notice.
Please note that only essential employees, as previously determined by their respective department leaders, should report to campus. All other employees should fulfill the requirements of their role remotely.
Campus operations for residential students, unless otherwise noted, will operate as scheduled, though hours may be modified or changed based on the conditions. Separate messages will be sent from the Peterson Library, the Beckerman Recreation Center, and Dining Services regarding any changes to their normal hours of operation. The Bergami Center for Science, Technology, and Innovation will remain open for residential students to use for study space and to participate in online classes.
Off-campus students that live in the City of West Haven should abide by the city’s parking ban during inclement weather to avoid having their vehicle tagged and towed. Please check the City of West Haven’s website for further information on their snow parking ban.
The Charger Blog
Working across platforms including Blackboard, Zoom, and GroupMe, Robin Kerkstra, RDH, MSDH, an assistant professor of allied health, is making certain that her dental hygiene students remain a strong, connected community of learners.
March 27, 2020
As soon as Robin Kerkstra, RDH, MSDH, heard the University of New Haven was moving to remote learning for the remainder of the spring semester, she had one priority: that her dental hygiene students – so used to working together in their clinical courses – did not feel alone.
“My primary goal for my dental hygiene students is to ensure they feel connected to each other, me, and the University,” says Kerkstra, an assistant professor of allied health. “I don't want any of my students to feel alone or think that learning online isn't something they can do successfully.”
To connect with her students, she is using Blackboard for written discussions and Zoom as a visual discussion community. The clinical portion of the course held at the University’s Dental Center has been canceled until the University reopens its campus, but the rest of the course continues apace virtually.
“I use patient case-based and real-life scenarios to help link the didactic to the clinical,” Prof. Kerkstra explains. “I am enjoying figuring out new processes to step up to the challenge of investing in our students using a different delivery approach.”
Krystal Quaynor ’20 is now taking Prof. Kerkstra’s Advanced Dental Hygiene Concepts class from the cozy home office she’s created at her house in Derby on Mondays at 9:30 a.m., the same time she would have the class on campus, only now her German Shepherd, Chase, pokes his head in to say hello.
Quaynor says she is struck by how Prof. Kerkstra links what they have learned and are learning in the program to what is happening with the COVID-19 pandemic.
"It’s been really nice to see everyone in class on Zoom because it brings a sense of comfort, like we are truly all in this together." Krystal Quaynor '20
“To see many of the things we learned about in Microbiology and Dental Hygiene Concepts play out in a real-world scenario is very eye-opening,” she says. “This kind of training will help us once we are a part of the workforce to allow us to effectively react to a health crisis such as this one. It is very important that we are equipped with the knowledge of proper infection control procedures because, as health care providers, we have a duty to our patients and our community to make sure we are taking precautions to limit the spread of diseases.”
Quaynor says she misses seeing her professors, friends, and classmates through the clinical part of the program, but Prof. Kerkstra has helped them remain connected.
“We started in the dental hygiene program together and we’ve become a family,” she says. “It’s been really nice to see everyone in class on Zoom because it brings a sense of comfort, like we are truly all in this together.”
To further keep her students’ spirits up, Prof. Kerkstra has incorporated Kahoot game-based learning, sending prizes like hats and decals with positive phrases like “smash your goals,” “choose joy,” and “warrior to the winners.”
She also created a GroupME forum where students can talk together about life in this time of social distancing. “I believe it's incredibly important to have a platform to communicate with students and for students to communicate with each other that is completely unrelated to grading,” Prof. Kerkstra says. “My students know this forum has nothing to do with their grades or assignments. I feel this type of setting for my students is equally as important as the virtual classroom setting.”
Quaynor says she’s grateful for that. “She is constantly checking in on us and our well-being and giving us different tips and tricks to help us get through this tough time,” she says. “From encouraging us to get fresh air to sending cute pictures of her dog, these little positive things make a difference, and we all appreciate that.”
We've launched the Charge Ahead Student Support Fund in an effort to raise financial assistance for our students for such necessities as remote learning technology, food, housing, medical expenses, and other emergency needs. Please click here to make a contribution that will assist those in our University community who need our support.
University News
New University-wide council will advance strategic partnerships, immersive student opportunities, and innovative research, supporting the University’s strategic plan the development of its pioneering Center for Innovation and Applied Technology.
The Charger Blog
Entrepreneur David Sussman, Pompea College of Business Advisory Board Member and chief visionary officer of The Family Security Plan®, is collaborating with University of New Haven students, faculty, and staff to create a program and app that helps Chargers support each other to achieve academic, personal, and professional goals. It’s called Uccountability.
University News
Vice President for Innovation and Applied Technology Paul Lavoie will serve on the Board of Directors and as America’s Chief Manufacturing Officer for the newly launched American Manufacturing Futures Institute.