It’s hard to believe, but we’re only a month away from the start of the fall semester. I know that this summer break has been anything but ordinary.

During the past month, I have listened to — and spoken with — scores of students about how The University of Texas at Austin can promote diversity, inclusion and equity and fully support our Black students.

Last night, I received extremely sad news confirming the COVID-19-related death of one of our custodial services team members. This loss is absolutely devastating to me, as I know it is to so many members of our campus community.

Today, the university is releasing key elements of our plan for the fall semester, which will include online, hybrid and in-person learning options for students. Our goal is to create an environment that is as safe as possible for all community members, while reigniting the learning, teaching and research that make our university the world-changing place that it is.

As we move along into the final days of June, the university continues to solidify our plans for the fall. We are keeping a close eye on COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations in Austin and across Texas, which have been on the rise in recent weeks.

As many of you are aware, tomorrow is Juneteenth — which since 1865, has been widely celebrated as the official date marking the end of slavery in the United States. This holiday has deep Texas ties and, in fact, can be traced to the arrival of Union soldiers in Galveston on June 19, 1865.