Dean's Community Message

October 20, 2020

Dear College of Engineering Community,

I hope you are doing well! I’ve definitely noticed lower energy levels in a few of the meetings I’ve been a part of this week. Maybe you’ve noticed, too, in your classes or meetings. Perhaps it’s because there’s less daylight at this time of year, or because the weather is changing, or because we’re all doing our best to put one foot in front of the other at this point of a very different kind of fall semester. Whatever the reason, please take some time in the days ahead to check on yourself and those around you. Take at least a bit of time to reenergize in a way that suits you: go for a walk or run, reconnect with a friend, watch something light on Netflix, read a book. As the saying goes, it’s a marathon and not a sprint. Make sure you are pacing yourself.

“Quiet minds cannot be perplexed or frightened but go on in fortune or misfortune at their own private pace, like a clock during a thunderstorm.”
—Robert Louis Stevenson

Here are today’s updates:


COVID-19 Response Center Phone Number

Beginning today, individuals with questions about COVID-related topics at Penn State can call the University’s COVID-19 Response Center at 814-865-2121 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday. Prior to calling, please review the FAQs on the University’s official information site to see if questions have already been addressed. Learn more about other numbers to call for information.


Oct. 22 President Barron Webinar: Testing and Mitigation

A group of faculty experts will join President Eric Barron for his next webinar at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 22, to discuss the University’s coronavirus testing and efforts to mitigate the spread of the virus. Faculty and staff members are invited to view the conversation via Zoom. Registration is not required, and questions submitted by faculty and staff in advance through Google Forms will be compiled into key topic areas for discussion by the panelists.


Nov. 6 Remote Symposium: Transition to Remote Instruction

Penn State will hold a remote symposium to help University instructors prepare for the Nov. 20 planned pivot to remote instruction, to be held via Zoom from 10 a.m. to 2:45 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 6. The “Transition to Remote Symposium” will comprise eight 45-minute roundtable sessions on five focused topics. Each session will be offered at least once; sessions expected to be most popular will be offered twice. Topics to be covered include: strategies for supporting remote labs, remote assessment strategies to promote academic integrity, engaging students during remote instruction, advising and supporting students, and remote teaching of experiential courses.


Teaching Tip #51 – Communicating with students about the transition to remote teaching and learning after November 20

In order to encourage communication to students in preparation for the November 20th transition to remote teaching and learning, a series of templates has been created for instructors who are currently teaching In-Person or Mixed courses. This will assist in communicating key information to students to help them to prepare to be successful in their studies as they make this transition. We recommend all instructors review these templates and begin communicating this information as soon as possible.


Take care!

Justin Schwartz
Harold and Inge Marcus Dean, College of Engineering