Dear Main Campus Faculty and Staff:
As we manage the challenges the COVID-19 pandemic presents for our spring semester activities, we are turning now to summer planning. While we continue to work through all aspects of summer programs, including conferences, camps and other activities, we want to communicate that our Main Campus Summer 2020 course offerings will be moved to virtual delivery. We will provide additional updates on summer programs organized through SCS in the days and weeks ahead. Those of you engaged in degree programs traditionally including summer instruction will also receive more information from your programs.
Summary
- All summer academic offerings will use remote delivery platforms;
- In addition to what is already scheduled, we are planning additional courses for the summer schedule for undergraduate and graduate students, and will communicate these to you in the near future;
- CNDLS will continue to provide support for moving courses to remote delivery; and
- We are reviewing how the current situation will affect international students, military connected students, and scholarship recipients.
Details
We are now engaged in coordinated and creative planning to shift programs and coursework between May and August, as much as possible, into virtual learning environments. We seek to assure that students can continue to stay engaged academically and make progress toward their degrees by providing instructional continuity.
We are also aware that there are academic-year programs slated to begin in the fall that have on-campus orientations or pre-sessions in July or August. We will make decisions about these programs in the coming weeks, as we gain more clarity about the public health situation.
We want to expand offerings in ways that are responsive to the situation and the interests of students in all of the schools. Please look for communications in the near future for more information on expanded summer offerings.
We recognize and empathize that moving courses and programs into a remote delivery format will entail significant work. Faculty support needed to move courses and activities to remote formats will continue to be provided by the Center for New Designs in Learning and Scholarship (CNDLS). If after careful consideration, a program cannot be transitioned to remote learning, it must be rescheduled or cancelled. For all questions about the transition to instructional continuity for summer programs, please consult your program chairs, deans and unit heads.
Finally, please know we are seeking clarification about federal policies that affect international students, military connected students and scholarship recipients. We will provide guidance to students as soon as various policies have been clarified.
Thank you all for your commitment and dedication. We are very grateful for your extraordinary efforts in these past few weeks.
Sincerely,
Robert M. Groves
Provost