Dean's Community Message

June 9, 2020

Dear College of Engineering Community,

Good afternoon. I hope you all had a chance to connect, reflect, and recharge this weekend. Before I provide today’s updates, I want to share a quote that I found extremely relevant and empowering. This quote — submitted by Cassandra Nuñez, undergraduate student in electrical engineering — is from the book Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer: “Transformation is not accomplished by tentative wading at the edge.”

Here are today’s updates:

Student Loan Debt Summary Letters to be sent in June

In June students will be receiving a letter outlining their total student debt from federal sources and a summary of their student debt from the University and private sources while they were enrolled at Penn State. All accredited institutions of higher education in Pennsylvania are required to send yearly letters by July 1 under Act 121 of 2018 informing borrowers of their loan debt to date. Current students should expect an email by the end of June through LionPATH from the Office of Student Aid. More information can be found here.

Global Programs Announces Cancellation of Fall Abroad Programs

On Monday, it was announced that University leaders made the decisions to suspend all fall 2020 semester-long study abroad programming. This decision in no way reflects what Penn State’s plans for residential instruction are for the fall semester, which is to be announced on June 15.

Warning for PA Residents: Unemployment Compensation Scam

The Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry recently reported a new unemployment compensation scam. Residents of PA may have received fraudulent pandemic unemployment compensation checks in the mail without having filed for unemployment compensation benefits. Some Penn State employees have reported receiving these fraudulent checks. If you have received a check without having filed an unemployment compensation claim, immediately inform your unit Human Resources Strategic Partner or Consultant and contact the Department of Labor and Industry. More information can be found here.

Remote Teaching Tip #15 – Gauge student learning at regular intervals

Ask students to reflect on each week’s lecture content by explaining what compelled them, what was confusing, etc. Address common responses in your weekly update the following week. For more tips about teaching online, contact the Office for Digital Learning.

Please continue to reach out to our response team at L-COE_CORONA_CRISIS_TEAM@engr.psu.edu if you have questions or concerns. Remember that you can always connect with me on LinkedIn and follow the college on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. Updates and FAQs are available on the University’s Coronavirus Information site.

Be well!

Justin Schwartz
Harold and Inge Marcus Dean, College of Engineering