Dean's Community Message

November 10, 2020

Dear College of Engineering Community,

This is an exciting week for the college! On Thursday, we will have a virtual kickoff event for our 125th anniversary, which we will be celebrating throughout 2021. You are invited to attend by visiting engineering125.psu.edu at 1:25 p.m. on Thursday. The roughly 30-minute event will recognize the powerful legacy of the college and look ahead toward our exciting future. One of the voices you will hear on Thursday is Dr. Guion “Guy” S. Bluford Jr., a Penn State aerospace engineering alumnus (’64), the first African American in space, and one of countless individuals who have contributed to the College of Engineering story over 125 years.

“My heroes growing up were engineers, so I wanted to be an engineer … and that’s why I came to Penn State.”
—Guy Bluford

Here are today’s updates:

University-Affiliated International Travel Suspended

Due to uncertainties related to COVID-19, Penn State has suspended all University-affiliated international travel until further notice. Leaders are also strongly discouraging personal travel abroad by Penn Staters. Employees previously approved for University-affiliated travel are expected to return to the U.S. by their approved return dates. While minor travel delays can be accommodated, those unable to return will not be permitted to continue to work remotely while abroad and will be placed on unpaid leave until they return to the U.S.

Return Home Resources

With the University’s Nov. 20 transition to remote learning fast approaching, the Return Home page on Penn State’s virus info site provides guidance for students and families including an overview of the three steps students should take to minimize the chances of carrying the virus home. The steps include scheduling a pre-departure test (I cannot emphasize enough the importance of doing this!), continued vigilance masking and distancing vigilance, and limited interaction for several days before and after going home.

Fall Alternative Grading

The Faculty Senate has voted to reinstate an alternative grading policy — which applies to undergraduate students — for the fall semester. Senate Policy 49-70 will function similarly to when it was first enacted during spring 2020. Additional details, including the deadline for selecting alternative grades, should be available by Nov. 15. More about the alternative grading policy is available on the Undergraduate Education website.

Zoom Meeting Invitation Phishing Scam

Last week, Penn State was the target of a scam that used fake Zoom meeting email invitations to harvest user credentials. The emailed invitations were sent with a from address of a suspect sender — “Zoom.co” — and did not include the typical psu.zoom.us URL. Attempts such as this are likely to continue in the current environment. Continue to exercise caution when receiving unexpected email. Users should report suspected phishing messages for review and action to phishing@psu.edu. New scam variants that are especially convincing will be posted at phishing.psu.edu.

Teaching Tip #56 — Using Zoom Breakout Rooms for Large Classes

Starting today, there is an option for hosts to increase the number of Zoom breakout rooms from 50 to 100. Hosts also have the ability to pre-assign up to 200 participants to breakout rooms. To take advantage of the new breakout room features, users must be using Zoom version 5.3.0 or later.

Be well!

Justin Schwartz
Harold and Inge Marcus Dean, College of Engineering