Dean's Community Message

July 31, 2020

Dear College of Engineering Community,

Good afternoon. Today’s community message is a little different. Dean Schwartz is currently taking some time offline and out of the “office,” so the next few messages will be coming from me. I want to take this opportunity to remind everyone how important it is to take some time off and unplug, even if it is for a short period of time.

Here are today’s updates:


Archived University Virtual Town Hall

Yesterday, the University hosted a virtual town hall. President Barron and town hall panelists provided important updates and discussed the University’s plans for the fall semester — including testing, surveillance and contact tracing, student requirements, campus safety protocols, data sharing, and return to research and workplace. Individuals who watched the event are encouraged to fill out this survey. The archived town hall will be available for viewing soon here. You can also read the summary of the event.


Updated COVID-19 FAQs from Office of the Physical Plant

The Office of the Physical Plant (OPP) has provided an updated FAQ document that is focused on their efforts related to facility changes to address COVID-19. Please see attached document for the updated FAQs.


Engineering Library Information

Penn State Libraries’ materials, including print course reserves, require a 96-hour quarantine period after being checked back in. To help mitigate the issues this may cause for students, strategies to replace or supplement these materials have been aggregated on this page. Elizabeth Thomsett-Scott will be available to assist students with selecting online materials to replace print items that will not be available to students during the pandemic. Please contact her at ect9@psu.edu with comments, concerns, or requests.


TIAA Monthly Counseling Sessions

To reduce person-to-person contact, TIAA counseling sessions will continue to be held virtually for the remainder of 2020. These one-hour sessions are available regardless of your participation in a TIAA retirement program. To register:

  1. Follow the link above.
  2. Select “Meet at Work” (even though session will be virtual).
  3. Choose “Pennsylvania” from the dropdown menu.
  4. Then select “Penn State University” from the dropdown menu.
  5. Click “Select.”
  6. Select the date and time that works best for you to meet virtually.

For those who are members of TIAA, some of the provisions of the CARES Act provide financial options during this challenging time.


Teaching Tip #30 – Resources for faculty teaching in the mixed mode

If your class will be offered as mixed mode this fall, check the keep teaching mixed mode page for resources, webinars, and FAQs about this instructional mode. For additional resources, contact the Office for Digital Learning for assistance.


Have a great weekend!

Anthony Atchley
Senior Associate Dean, College of Engineering