Dean's Community Message

April 25, 2020

Dear College of Engineering Community,

Happy Saturday! Today’s “Because I couldn’t …” statement comes from Andrea Ragonese, assistant professor in SEDTAPP:

“Because I couldn’t attend my sons’ band concert tonight, I stayed home and read a book from start to finish (and started another) while listening to them practice in another room. The book that I am now reading is one I believe many other engineering faculty may find helpful for teaching online (those that are new to online teaching as well as those who are experienced), especially when designing their courses for the upcoming Maymester and summer sessions. It is entitled, Small Teaching Online: Applying Learning Science in Online Classes, by Flower Darby with James M. Lang.”

Thank you, Andrea, for sharing that anecdote and book recommendation! I too am finding that the little things in day-to-day life — that we oftentimes take for granted — sometimes have the biggest impact.

Here is today’s update:

From Office of Information Security: COVID-19 Gift Card and Phishing Scams

This week, OIS investigated numerous scams attempting to prey on people wanting to help during this pandemic. People who normally may be vigilant about not falling for scams may be more susceptible in these trying times where we want to help others. Please be vigilant, to verify correspondence before taking any action, and report any suspicious behavior to phishing@psu.edu. More information on gift card scams and how to avoid them can be found here.

Please continue to submit your appreciation for members of the engineering community. Penn State updates are available on the University’s coronavirus information site. You can connect with me on LinkedIn and follow the college on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

I hope you all are enjoying your weekend! Be well!

Justin Schwartz
Harold and Inge Marcus Dean, College of Engineering