Dean's Community Message

April 3, 2020

Dear College of Engineering Community,

I hope it has been a good week and that you are staying healthy. I think today’s quote, provided by Gene Gerber, Advanced Engineering Aide in Biomedical Engineering (and sent to him by IT Support Specialist Rick Smith), captures how a lot of us are feeling these days.

“Day eight at home, and the dog is looking at me like, see this is why I chew the furniture.”

Social distancing is definitely not without its challenges, especially when the weekend arrives. But it is critically important! In the coming days, I hope you can take some time to relax and, perhaps, even engage in something entirely new like learning about sea life or recreating famous artwork (just don’t start chomping on the couch). Please connect with me personally on LinkedIn and follow the college on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. I’ve really enjoyed getting to know those of you whom reached out to me with notes when connecting on LinkedIn. I’m also working at home and enjoy the personal connections!

Here are today’s updates:

Graduate School Optional Alternative Grading

An optional alternative grading system for graduate students has been announced for the spring 2020 semester. Under the new system, faculty members will enter grades as usual at the end of the semester. Graduate students may choose to keep their grades as received, or request to have one or more grades converted to one of the following alternatives:

  • P: This grade will be available if a student earns a C or better in a course. Courses graded with a P will appear as earned credits on the graduate transcript.
  • V: This grade will be available if a student earns a D in a course. Courses graded with a V will only count for attempted credits on the graduate transcript and will not count toward earned credits.
  • Z: This grade will be available if a student earns an F in a course. Courses graded with a Z will also only count for attempted credits on the graduate transcript and will not count toward earned credits.

None of the three grades, including P, will have any impact on a student’s GPA. Every student is strongly encouraged to continue striving for the highest possible grades in each class. Faculty should continue, as normal, with their graduate course grading processes. Additional details and FAQs are available on the Graduate School website.

Beware Cybercriminals, Hackers, Scammers

One of the unfortunate side effects of the coronavirus pandemic is an increase in activity by cybercriminals, hackers and scammers of all types. Please be extra careful as you go through your email (both Penn State and personal) and do not click on links that look suspicious or come from a source that you don’t recognize. Any suspicious activity should be forwarded to phishing@psu.edu.

Zoom Security

I wanted to call additional attention to guidance to protect remote classes from “Zoom-bombing.” The FBI has issued a warning about teleconferencing and online classroom hijacking during the COVID-19 pandemic, and any cases at Penn State should be reported to University Police. Faculty, please make sure you are doing all you can to secure your Zoom sessions. Additional steps are available via the FAQs on the Penn State coronavirus information site.

Enjoy your weekend!

Justin Schwartz
Harold and Inge Marcus Dean, College of Engineering