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On October 20, 2019, Parker University was directly hit by a tornado. While no one was injured, the main campus sustained enough damage to be closed until October 28, possibly longer. Exterior damage was done to buildings, trees, fences. The South building and Massage Therapy Clinic were damaged more than the others, including the roof and walls. No injuries have been reported. Students, Faculty, and Staff remain off campus for safety reasons. The Dallas Police Department is closing roads around different areas of Dallas to keep people safe and to manage traffic. Please heed all these cautions. While the campus is closed out of safety concerns, Parker University is preparing to have classroom space available in the very near future. Some of the classrooms may be temporarily off campus. Parker has a strong online presence and will increase the percentage of online classes and support systems as we repair our campus buildings. Parker University leadership and teams are working to restore normal operations as soon as possible. No classes or graduation cycles are in danger of being incomplete. At this time, Blackboard learning resources have been restored. Parker email services are also back online. However, if one has fully logged out of the systems, the login servers to allow full access to those resources with a fresh login are still being updated and will be restored soon. Contingency plans are being developed as required for any temporary offsite learning and will be communicated as soon as possible. Our staff will be working from home for the immediate future. Please stay in touch with your managers and keep the communication at a high level. While much of the campus was damaged, our clinic sustained only minor damage. The Synapse Human Performance Center is totally intact. I expect those clinics to be operational within a week or two depending on when power is restored. Please remember to stay safe during these times and know that Parker University is absolutely still standing and supporting its members. Missing exterior portions, debris, fallen tree branches, and broken windows all look terrible, but do not constitute structural damage throughout the campus. Parker University will be back to normal operating standards rapidly and small setbacks will not stop the success of our students. The Irving-based Parker Chiropractic Clinic will remain open during this time. Parker University leadership and teams are targeting Monday, October 28th for general re-opening. This includes on-ground classes. Online, telephone, and other services will be restored throughout this week and notifications will be sent out regularly alongside updates to this page. Parker University thanks the chiropractic community for its continued support during this time. "It warms our hearts to see the outreach and cheer that our students, alumni, and supporters are offering. Parker University is continuing operations now, will open its physical doors again shortly, and has not strayed from the course of reinforcing the success of our students and alumni. Expect updates as we have them in the coming hours and days, including both interim progress alerts and how to help where it most makes sense,” reports the University. Photo credit: Heather Ellis, posted on Parker University Facebook page Source: https://www.parker.edu/update/