Dear Colleagues,
In response to the developing situation with COVID-19, the Chancellor of UC Berkeley, Carol Christ, has today prohibited large meetings scheduled to take place on campus before March 31, 2020. As a result, it is necessary for us to cancel the upcoming physical meeting of the Medieval Academy at UC Berkeley, scheduled for March 26-28, 2020. This is a painful decision: our diverse and richly interdisciplinary program brings together scholars at various stages in their careers. And the program bespeaks the energy and collaboration of many colleagues from institutions throughout northern California. But the health and safety of our participants and of the community at large are paramount.
The Academy and the Program Committee are working on the possibility of mounting a virtual conference to allow papers, lectures, and discussion to take place via Zoom. We will have further information for you soon about participating in a virtual conference.
As you will have read in a message earlier today from Executive Director Lisa Fagin Davis, the leadership of the Academy is in active consultation about the possibility of at least a partial refund of registration fees.
This is a frustrating and concerning time for all of us. We appreciate your patience as we take the many necessary steps involved in cancelling the Berkeley meeting of the Medieval Academy.
On behalf of the Program Committee,
Maureen C. Miller, Co-Chair
Katherine O’Brien O’Keeffe, Co-Chair
