Dean's Community Message

May 6, 2020

Dear College of Engineering Community,

I hope your finals week is progressing smoothly, that you are staying safe and healthy, and that you are finding success in the midst of all the end-of-semester stress. Today’s quote comes from American tennis legend, Arthur Ashe:

“Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.”

Keep going … you’ve got this!

Today’s updates are below. Note that the first two are related to facilities/campus access. There are no changes from the prior access guidelines in place now.


Lab Access

As part of Gov. Tom Wolf’s phased reopening plan for the state, Centre and other counties in Pennsylvania will transition to a Yellow Phase designation beginning on Friday, May 8. Please note that researchers in the college should not plan to return to labs at that time. We are awaiting further guidance from the University on how and when labs will be accessible, and anticipate that a planning period will be needed to ensure that occupancy limits are respected and that appropriate PPE and disinfecting supplies are available. We will provide updates as soon as possible.


Remote Working

In light of Gov. Wolf’s phased reopening plan, which calls for telework to continue when feasible even where other activities are set to resume, faculty and staff who are currently working remotely should plan on continuing to do so through at least the end of May, unless otherwise advised by their supervisor or unit leadership.


Zoom Security Updates

New security updates will be implemented for all students, faculty, and staff on Monday, May 11. These include changing the default settings of many features to be more secure, including the chat feature, screen sharing, and meeting passwords. Many features will have new default settings. It is recommended to have the latest version of Zoom by May 11 to have easier access to make changes to settings. Faculty, staff, and graduate students: please work with IT contacts in the college for additional support. Undergraduate students, please reach out to the Penn State Help Desk for assistance at 814-865-HELP. More information and a complete list of features affected is available on the new Zoom Meetings page on the Office of Information Security website.


Textbook Rental Returns

The Penn State Bookstore has confirmed that the return date for textbook rental returns has been extended to July 1 and no charges will be incurred until the fall.


Capstone Design Showcase: Vote

Each semester, senior engineering students present their capstone design projects at the Learning Factory Capstone Design Showcase. This semester, with the shift to remote learning, the showcase is taking place entirely online through May 8. You can be a part of event and vote for your favorite projects and videos. Visit the showcase website to participate.


Please continue to reach out to our response team at L-COE_CORONA_CRISIS_TEAM@engr.psu.edu if you have questions or concerns. Penn State updates are available on the University’s information site.

Take care!

Justin Schwartz
Harold and Inge Marcus Dean, College of Engineering