A message to faculty and staff on managing the transition to remote work has been released by Minghua Zhang, Interim Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs, and Kenneth Kaushansky, MD, Senior Vice President for Health Sciences and Dean, Renaissance School of Medicine. The message reads as follows:
You have likely heard that the Governor of New York has announced that all non-essential employees work remotely effective Sunday night (3/22/20). We are writing to you to share some important updates about how we are managing this transition.
We recognize that many essential employees are able to perform their duties remotely. The Governor’s office requires that we create a list of essential employees who may have access to campus to provide critical services. We have asked the Academic Deans to work with their respective units and identify a list of faculty, staff, and graduate students who require access. Because the timeline is urgent, we have asked the Deans to compile this information by Sunday, March 22. Please know that we are trying to minimize the number of people on campus, but if access to campus is critical, you can be designated as such, pending your Chair’s and Dean’s approval.
The names of these personnel designated as “Essential COVID campus access” should be sent to Janice Barone in the Office of the Provost or John Riley in the School of Medicine, as appropriate.
We also want to update you that a communication will be sent to all students shortly. You will be copied on this message. It will provide important academic information about the remainder of the semester. Key points include:
● Classes will resume online on Monday, March 30, 2020;
● The semester will end as scheduled on Wednesday, May 20, 2020;● Professors will post revised syllabi on Blackboard no later than Friday, March 27, 2020;
● Students without access to proper online resources will be asked to report this information to their instructors;
● Most undergraduate students will now have the opportunity to choose between a letter grade or pass/no credit for the majority of their courses. As is true for the current GPNC policy, some Schools and Colleges may opt out of this policy and will inform you of your options before you return to class on March 30; and
● Graduate course grading is still being discussed.
We thank you for your patience and collaboration during this difficult time. We are especially grateful for any kindness you can demonstrate to our students. Please know we care about you and your well-being. We stand ready to do whatever we can to assist you.
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