Dean's Community Message

June 19, 2020

Dear College of Engineering Community,

Good afternoon. As we continue to navigate through our next steps in the University’s Back to State processes, please know that we are taking the engineering community’s questions and concerns into strong consideration as we plan this transition period. Again, we want to thank everyone for their patience and feedback during this time. Please don’t hesitant to reach out to our response team at COE_CORONA_CRISIS_TEAM@engr.psu.edu with continuing questions or concerns.

Today’s inspirational quote was submitted by Soundar Tirupatikumara, Allen E. Pearce and Allen M. Pearce Professor of Industrial Engineering:

“Life is under no obligation to give us what we expect.”
—Margaret Mitchell

Here are today’s updates:

Reminder: Return to Campus Protocols and Safety Guidelines

As we start to see more individuals returning to campus, I want to remind everyone of the protocols and guidelines that have been provided to ensure the health and safety of our community. These guidelines MUST be followed in order to continue the return of on-campus work, research, and learning. Please remember masks must be worn by those currently conducting work or research on campus. Please also remember that bringing family members/guests into any buildings on campus is NOT permitted. Please see attached documents for more guidance on these protocols.

Reminder: Faculty and Staff Return to Campus Questionnaire

As a reminder for faculty and staff, please complete this online questionnaire to provide us with your feedback on returning to campus for work and learning. As mentioned, your perspectives are critical during this time, as they help guide our decisions on the college’s return to campus transition processes. Please complete the questionnaire by Tuesday at noon.

Reminder: University to Host Town Halls to Address Questions Around Return to Campus

As a reminder, Penn State President Eric Barron will host a pair of virtual Town Halls to answer questions from the campus community regarding the University's Back to State plans for returning to campus for the fall semester. The Town Hall for faculty and staff will take place on Monday, June 22, from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m., and the Town Hall for students and families will follow on the same day starting at 3:30 p.m. Both events can be viewed at liveevents.psu.edu. More information can be found here.

Remote Learning Options for Students Who Remain Home in Fall

Penn State has developed plans to allow students who must remain home during the fall semester to move forward with their Penn State education. The University will offer a robust portfolio of remote learning options and student experiences through Penn State Start at Home and Continue at Home so students can begin or continue to make progress toward earning their degrees. More information can be found here.

Take Back Your Summer: The Learning Factory at Home

Over the summer, the Learning Factory will be hosting a series of virtual activities, competitions, and professional development opportunities for students. Their first event, the Great Learning Factory Make Off, will consist of four competitions that will award winners with cash prizes and Learning Factory swag. The Learning Factory is inviting rising or current Penn State students to participate in these competitions that will provide the opportunity for you to show your creativity and engineering skills from the comfort of your own home. Visit the Learning Factory @ Home website for the competition rules and more details. The first competition, the Egg Drop Fly challenge, starts today and ends on Friday, June 26.

Remote Teaching Tip #18 – Use research to inform your course design

Penn State is a member of Quality Matters (QM), a research-based rubric and course review system for measuring the quality of online course design. Use the QM rubric to evaluate how well your course meets these quality standards. Learning Designers from the Office for Digital Learning can help you implement these strategies in your course.

Please continue to email me your inspirational quotes. 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.

Be well!

Justin Schwartz
Harold and Inge Marcus Dean, College of Engineering