Dean's Community Message

August 6, 2021

Dear College of Engineering Community,

We’re nearing two big transitions in the coming weeks: the in-person fall semester for students and the return-to-campus for employees. In many ways, I feel the same way I do before every new academic year. I’m eager to welcome everyone back to campus, to see Penn State energized by the incoming and returning to students, but I’m also acutely aware that, once again, I have to say, “This year is different.”

We have persevered through inconceivable circumstances, and the pandemic continues to evolve not only in its variants but also in its political and ideological considerations. We (both as individuals and as a society) weigh physical health, mental wellbeing, and economic circumstances, wanting to protect ourselves, our families, and our communities while wanting life to return to some semblance of normal. We continue to be worried and frustrated — as we have been for nearly 18 months.

Yet the answers we seek change with circumstances. While University leadership continue to synthesize information from the CDC, the Pennsylvania Department of Health, and scientific expertise, seeking scientifically guided protocols, the pandemic is continuing to evolve and thus so do the necessary mitigation efforts. The quickly changing landscape is reflected in the shift of masking protocols after cases continued rapidly surging in many counties across the Commonwealth.

Compared to a year ago, one thing has changed: we are no longer unequipped. We have the COVID-19 vaccines and 18 months of experience and resilience on our side. A feat of engineering and science, the vaccines are the best way to end the pandemic, a sentiment President Barron shared repeatedly during his town hall earlier this week. While the University is not mandating vaccinations, neither the University nor the College of Engineering are impartial on the matter. Please get vaccinated, and let Penn State know your vaccination status. Information on where to get vaccinated and update your status is available here. Thank you to all who have already taken these critical steps. Remember, we are all in this together, and the vaccine you get might save your life—and it might save the lives of others, too.

The College of Engineering’s COVID team remains active, and we continue to work to keep our community safe, healthy, and informed. Please feel free to email L-COE_CORONA_CRISIS_TEAM@engr.psu.edu or me at dean@engr.psu.edu with any questions, thoughts or comments. We continue to be here to support you. You can also refer to the University’s website for the most up-to-date protocols and guidance.

“We are at our finest when we take care of each other.”
—Katherine Center

Here are other updates from the town hall:


Masking

Penn State currently requires all faculty, staff, students, and visitors—vaccinated and unvaccinated—to wear masks while indoors on campus. Technical service employees are not currently required to wear masks as there is not a state mandate, but we strongly encourage all individuals to wear masks. This is not only to protect ourselves and each other, regardless of vaccination status, but also to protect each other’s loved ones. Many of us have children too young to receive the vaccine, or family or close friends who are immunocompromised or otherwise at higher risk for infection. Penn State has a long and proud history as a community dedicated to one another, predating even the origins of “We Are!”, and I see that reflected every day in faculty, staff, students, and alumni.


Testing

For employees: The University is currently developing testing plans and requirements for employees who are not vaccinated or have not shared they are vaccinated. Employees should upload their information through Salesforce Health Cloud by Aug. 9.

For students: Students living on-campus who have not shared their vaccination status with the University by Aug. 9 will be required to take a COVID-19 test upon arrival to campus. Students with positive results will have the choice of entering on- or near-campus isolation for 10 days or returning home for 10 days. Students living on or off campus who remain unvaccinated or do not share their vaccination status will be required to test regularly for COVID-19. There will be significant consequences for non-compliance. Students who test positive will be referred to isolation and the University’s contact tracing process will be initiated. Students will be required to work with their instructors to make up missed class work.


Class Modes

Class modes that currently are listed in LionPath are the modes in which those classes will be offered. The University is committed to providing a safe, robust in-person experience this fall and has not authorized any change in course modality. Faculty teaching in-person are not expected to enable students to attend remotely. Students who miss class due to quarantine, isolation, or illness need to work with their instructors to make up missed work. Faculty are asked to be flexible and work with students, as they would have before the pandemic.


Return-to-Campus Work

The return to on-campus work for faculty and staff is expected to proceed as planned, with the college-approved schedules taking effect on Aug. 16. If your situation changes, staff should work with their direct supervisor to determine how to proceed. Faculty members who wish to request a work adjustment should visit the Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs website and look under the “Instructional Guidance” section for information on the adjustment process and the Faculty Work Adjustment Request Form. Requests should be submitted to the HRSP for the academic unit.


Off-Ramps

The University continues to monitor the COVID-19 pandemic, including the spread of the Delta variant and rise in coronavirus cases across the country and within Pennsylvania, and may continue to adjust its plans as circumstances change. The recent masking protocol change is one example of the University’s “off-ramp” contingencies designed to promote the health and safety of students, faculty, and staff. Other possible off-ramp measures may include physical distancing, curtailing or suspending some or all programs and activities, and returning to remote classes. However, these decisions will be made by senior University leadership, and not by colleges, departments, programs, or individual faculty.


Thank you,

Justin Schwartz
Harold and Inge Marcus Dean, College of Engineering