Dean's Community Message

September 15, 2020

Dear College of Engineering Community,

Deepest condolences from the entire engineering community to family and friends of Nicholas Papadopoulos, a junior in industrial engineering who died over the weekend. For students dealing with grief, Penn State Counseling & Psychological Services offers a range of virtual support services. Of course, you can also reach out directly to me, and I can help connect you with the appropriate resources.

“May today be better than yesterday, but not as good as tomorrow.”
—Irish proverb submitted by Dale Hoffman, former president of PSEAS

Here are today’s updates:


COVID-19 Testing for Faculty, Staff, and Students

Faculty, staff, and students who are selected for surveillance testing need to follow the instructions outlined in the surveillance testing notification email and schedule a time to get tested. More information may be found here. For students who are experiencing COVID-19 symptoms and/or have been exposed to COVID-19, please continue to visit one of the on-campus testing sites to get tested. For faculty and staff members who are experiencing symptoms and/or have been exposed to COVID-19, please contact your primary care physician to schedule a tested. More information regarding testing resources for faculty and staff will be shared in the coming days. In the meantime, please see this Penn State Human Resources webpage for more information.


Employee Flu Vaccine Clinics

Penn State, in partnership with Health Advocate, will provide flu vaccine clinics for all employees. All employees and eligible spouses (covered by the Penn State health care plan) can utilize drive-through clinics held on most Penn State campuses starting in late September and continuing through October. Employees on the Penn State health care plan can also receive a vaccine at any network pharmacy or at their primary physician’s office. Employees can also request a voucher to receive a vaccine at pharmacies where available. More information on the clinic schedules and how to obtain a vaccine will be provided early next week.


Student Flu Vaccine Clinics

University Health Services will begin hosting student flu vaccine clinics starting on Sept. 21. Students must register in advance. No walk-ins will be accepted. More information, including how to register, is available here.


Teaching Tip #41 – Pre-assign your Zoom breakout rooms

Pre-assigning students to Zoom breakout rooms is a great way to form groups that will continue to meet throughout the semester. Please note, students will need to be authenticated for the pre-assigned breakout rooms to work. For more information, see these Zoom breakout room trouble-shooting tips or contact the Office for Digital Learning.


Remember that you can always 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