MARYLAND (DC News Now) — The University of Maryland sent an email to its community Monday announcing that its Thanksgiving break this year would be extended.

A letter from President Darryll J. Pines said that classes on Monday, Nov. 20 would be moved online and no classes would take place on Tuesday, Nov. 21. The campus would remain open for both of those days.

The letter said that Wednesday, Nov. 22 would be an administrative leave day for all regular or contingent II faculty and staff.

In the letter, Pines said that this decision was due in part to a “challenging fall” and “loss around the world and in our own community.”

The Thanksgiving holiday will soon be here, and we hope you are anticipating a time of gathering with friends and family, sharing a meal, and stepping away from our daily routines to celebrate a day uniquely dedicated to gratitude.

We recognize that we have experienced a challenging fall, punctuated by loss around the world and in our own community. Many support staff at our university have worked around the clock to provide care and support to our many faculty, staff and students. Our faculty have shown care and compassion. And our students continue to inspire us in the ways they respect and support one another.

For all who have offered a helping hand to a fellow Terp, we want to say thank you. And for student leaders who have advocated for extra time and space for our community to take care of one another, we hear you.

Excerpt of the letter from President Darryll J. Pines

“Please use this time to rest and recharge, and please know that we will continue to find new and different ways to create a community of care here at the University of Maryland,” Pines concluded in the letter.