Dean's Community Message

March 2, 2021

Dear College of Engineering Community,

The conclusion of Black History Month on Sunday and the beginning of Women’s Herstory Month yesterday are reminders that the calendar plays a significant role in guiding whose contributions are recognized and when. Months like February and March are undoubtedly important to the pursuit of equity and racial justice, but they are also insufficient on their own. Any forward progress languishes if we immediately return to business as usual, waiting another eleven months to again reflect in a way that’s too often the same as our reflections last year and the years before that.

As we move through the calendar in 2021, please join me in continuing to celebrate those who remain underrepresented across our engineering disciplines — those whose stories are too infrequently told and whose contributions too often missed or minimized. The impact of these individuals, of course, is not limited to February, or March, or any other single month of the year. Our recognition should not be limited either.

Furthermore, as we engage in conversation about black history and women’s herstory in the United States, it is important that we dig deeper. Our ongoing celebrations of remarkable contributions and examples of exceptionalism must be considered alongside the historic impact of systemic challenges on the underrepresented. I invite you to learn more. Consider investing some of your time in the weeks and months ahead digging deeper into American social history, which offers endless possibilities for deeper understanding. With deeper understanding comes greater appreciation and opportunities for even more meaningful celebration.

“The story of women’s struggle for equality belongs to no single feminist, nor to any one organization, but to the collective efforts of all who care about human rights.”
—Gloria Steinem

Here are today’s updates:


Random Testing Resumes

Starting yesterday and as part of its spring 2021 testing strategy, the University will conduct random testing each day of 1% to 2% of its population of employees who are listed in the return to work database and students who are taking in-person classes or living within 20 miles of a campus. Those who are randomly selected for this testing will receive an email from HealthyState@psu.edu in their Penn State email account with a link to a website where they can register for testing. More information about random testing and what to do if you are contacted is available here. Vaccination status does not exempt students or employees from participating in the testing for COVID-19.


Summer: Global Programs

Global Programs has notified faculty course leaders that given challenges related to group-based international travel during COVID-19, all faculty-led education abroad programs that were scheduled to begin in early summer 2021 have been cancelled.

Decisions pertaining to direct-enroll study abroad for summer 2021 and faculty-led courses to run in late June or July will be made in the coming month through a rigorous health and safety review protocol by the International Restricted Travel Committee, the vice provost for global programs, and the provost.

Education Abroad staff in Global Programs will work with each student who may be impacted to evaluate their options, explain the anticipated timelines for program health and safety reviews, and address any concerns the student may have.


COVID-19 Dashboard

The COVID-19 dashboard has been updated to show the results of University-provided testing at all campus locations through Feb. 25. Over the seven prior days at University Park, 17,239 total tests were administered, resulting in 87 positive cases, for a total seven-day positivity rate of 0.5%. This includes 86 student positive results from 16,962 student tests performed (0.5% positivity rate) and one employee positive from 277 employee tests (0.4% positivity rate). The dashboard is updated twice weekly.


Teaching Tip #79 – Using “Space” to Increase Lecture Accessibility

When creating lecture slides use white space generously to allow for cognitive processing. While teaching, wait times and conscious verbal pacing allow students to integrate the new content into their cognitive schema.


Take care!

Justin Schwartz
Harold and Inge Marcus Dean, College of Engineering