Dean's Community Message

May 14, 2021

Dear College of Engineering Community,

I hope your summer is off to a wonderful start! If you happened to miss the big news from the end of last week, the Board of Trustees approved final plans and construction of new engineering research and teaching space on West Campus. The project — set to begin in June — is part of our broader facilities plan that includes construction currently underway on another new engineering building on West Campus. We are excited about what these investments in engineering at Penn State and the overall plan will mean for the future of the college and our community.

Now that summer — at least from a Penn State perspective — is here, please plan to take some time to recharge in the weeks and months ahead. Please note that we will be shifting to an every-other-week schedule with the community message after today, but will reach out as needed with important information, particularly related to summer and fall planning. Another way to keep up to date is to connect with me on LinkedIn and following the college across social media.

Also, I strongly encourage everyone to get vaccinated. Yesterday was a watershed moment as individuals 12 and older are now eligible. Learn more about vaccinations and where you can receive one here.

“Take the first step in faith. You don’t have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step.”
—Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Here are today’s updates:

Undergraduate Alternative Grading Clarifications

Penn State has implemented optional alternative grading scales for the spring 2021 semester, with additional details and FAQs on the University’s Keep Learning website. Students will be able to submit alternative grade choices from May 12-May 21 through LionPATH. Students can now start to consider all options by using the Alternative Grading Decision Worksheet and consulting with academic advisers. Two points of clarification for undergraduate students related to academic integrity and entrance to major:

  • Academic Integrity: The University has determined that a student will not be permitted to elect alternative grading for a course in which an Academic Integrity violation occurred if the sanction associated with the violation results in any reduction to individual grades in the course or the overall course grade.
  • Entrance to Major (ETM): Credits for which an alternative grade has been selected will not count toward the ETM credit window for Enrollment Controlled College of Engineering majors. Please review Entrance to Major Considerations for courses that require a specific letter grade for administratively controlled majors. In engineering, this is MATH 141 specifically

Mask Wearing

Updated guidance is expected from the University following yesterday’s announcement from the CDC.

Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month Events

There are numerous virtual events planned for this month that focus on Asian American and Islander heritage. Here is a list of some upcoming events:

Teaching Tip #91 – Replace Box links in Canvas

With the transition from Box to OneDrive, links to Box from Canvas will no longer work after this summer. If your course contains links to Box, you should consider updating those links to the appropriate OneDrive location prior to copying over your Canvas course from one semester to the next.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Justin Schwartz
Harold and Inge Marcus Dean, College of Engineering