Dean's Community Message

January 19, 2020

Dear College of Engineering Community,

I hope your spring 2021 semester is off to a fantastic start.

Unquestionably, the beginning of this semester feels quite different from previous spring semesters, but very similar, of course, to our remote teaching and learning environment at the end of the fall. As has been the case since last March, we continue to push forward even as we keep a hopeful eye on the horizon and the eventual return to a more typical academic experience.

As we push forward, I invite you to join me in wholeheartedly embracing the opportunities that every new semester — no matter the format — presents. Opportunities to grow personally and professionally, opportunities to uncover new knowledge and share it with others, opportunities to engage in new ways with the community (virtual or otherwise) around you. Here’s to the promise of new beginnings and the power we all have to make a positive difference!

“Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, ‘What are you doing for others?’”
—Martin Luther King, Jr.

Here are today’s updates:

Spring COVID-19 Testing

The University has developed and announced a comprehensive testing strategy for all campuses that includes both required and voluntary testing during the remote learning period and the in-person portion of the spring semester. As a reminder, students from all campuses are required to participate in COVID-19 testing and must have a negative COVID-19 test result from a University provided test on file prior to, and within 72 hours of, their return to their campus community, including graduate students or others who remained on campus over the break. This requirement applies to students taking a fully remote/online course load if they live in Centre County or within 20 miles of a Penn State campus. On the University’s newly revamped virus information website, detailed information is available related to:

Note for employees: On-campus testing and kits for at-home testing are only available for those in the University’s return-to-work database. For employees not in the return-to-work database, there are testing options via pharmacies, urgent care clinics, or you can reach out to your medical provider. In Centre County, there is a free, walk-in testing site, which is not affiliated with Penn State, currently available at 1155 Benner Pike, Suite 120. More information on days and hours of operation of the site is available here. Additionally, State College Borough offers a website with additional testing locations across Pennsylvania. Billing to insurance and out-of-pocket costs to employees can vary depending on testing circumstances including location, whether the test was ordered by a physician, symptomatic/asymptomatic testing, etc. Penn State Aetna members can visit this site for COVID-19 resources and contact information. Employees with other coverage should check with their provider regarding the specifics of their plans.

COVID-19 Dashboard

Penn State has released a redesigned version of its COVID-19 dashboard for the spring 2021 semester that provides additional information to help students, faculty, staff and community members better understand COVID-19 testing results, virus prevalence, and quarantine and isolation capacity on each of the University’s campuses. The dashboard will be updated on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays throughout the spring.

Teaching Tip #68 – Office for Digital Learning Office Hours

ODL staff will continue to hold office hours from 11:00-12:00 M-F to assist faculty in meeting your pedagogical goals with digital tools. Join us on Zoom.

Be well!

Justin Schwartz
Harold and Inge Marcus Dean, College of Engineering