Dean's Community Message

March 26, 2021

Dear College of Engineering Community,

Happy Friday! I hope you had a great week, and you are enjoying the first week of spring. As we approach April — the last month of classes for the spring semester — I know schedules start to fill up, and it can be a stressful time for many. In light of this, I wanted to share this article that stresses the importance of taking micro-breaks from work. The article highlights a recent study from North Carolina State University that shows more micro-breaks can actually increase productivity.

Here are today’s updates:

Updated Guidance on Visitors to Campuses During Pandemic

Penn State has updated its guidance for employees concerning when to invite visitors to campuses during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. The University will continue to encourage virtual visitation for guests when possible. For hiring activities, on campus invitations for finalists need to be approved by me. All other events or requests should continue to be entered into the Engineering Campus Activity Tracker (ECAT). Detailed information can be found here.

Return to Workplace Planning

As announced last week, the University’s Return to Work Task Group — co-chaired by Lorraine Goffe, vice president for Human Resources, and Abby Diehl, assistant vice provost for faculty affairs — has reconvened and is considering guidelines and outcomes for the future. The University’s return-to-workplace planning is certain to be a topic of discussion during the upcoming webcast with President Barron planned for 3:30 p.m. on March 31. Goffe will join Barron at that event.

In engineering, informed by our recent internal survey of staff that showed strong support for — and interest in — remote or hybrid work arrangements, we are also developing a college-specific return-to-workplace plan. In this planning, we are not only thinking about the transition from our current situation to normal, but also thinking about what our “new normal” will be in alignment with University guidelines and in support of our organizational priorities. Our hope is to be ready to launch when HR requirements are shared. More details will be forthcoming.

Penn State President Search Listening Tour

The Penn State Board of Trustees is preparing to launch a listening tour for the upcoming search for a new University president. This tour will give the Penn State community the opportunity to engage and give their thoughts on the search process. Details will be available soon.

Summer Success Scholarship for Undergraduate Students

Applications for the Summer Success Scholarship are now open. Undergraduate students who need to take at least one summer course to graduate on time and are in need of financial support are eligible for this scholarship. Undergraduate students at all Penn State campuses, including World Campus, are encouraged to apply. More information and the application link can be found here. The deadline to apply is April 30.

Teaching Tip #84 – Miro online collaborative whiteboard now available

College of Engineering faculty now have free access to Miro courseware for virtual team collaboration and whiteboards. To get started, see the Office for Digital Learning Tech Tools site or contact ODL for more information.

Take care!

Justin Schwartz
Harold and Inge Marcus Dean, College of Engineering