Dean's Community Message

August 20, 2021

Dear College of Engineering Community,

I’d like to start today’s message by welcoming all of our new faculty, staff, and students to the Penn State Engineering family! This fall we are welcoming about 25 new faculty, 700 new graduate students, and more than 2,000 new undergraduates to University Park. We are so glad that you have joined us and look forward to getting to know you in the coming days/weeks/months ahead. With the start of classes on Monday and the start of another semester, I know there are a lot of mixed emotions surrounding the return to campus. But I also know that this is always a time of tremendous excitement about the beginning of so many new things; a new home, new career path, new projects, new friends, new colleagues, learning new things and making new discoveries. I invite each of you to embrace that potential for extraordinary things to happen and to take full advantage of the resources and opportunities all around you. At the same time, please remember that while we all have a role in moving our community forward from the pandemic. Please wear your mask when indoors, get vaccinated, and continue to practice healthy habits. Our community has shown remarkable resilience, but the challenges continue. I’d also like to encourage you to find as many ways to be connected as you can. You can connect directly with me on LinkedIn and follow the college on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

Of course, COVID-19 is not the only challenge facing our world. The escalating situation in Afghanistan and the aftermath of the earthquake in Haiti earlier this week have brought so much destruction and anguish to those nations. I hope you are safe and finding support coping with the emotional turmoil that these events are causing for so many not only in those places but also here at Penn State. Our engineering community is a diverse international group of people, with personal connections to places, family, and friends around the globe. Please be mindful of this, continue to treat others with kindness and compassion, and offer support to those in need. If you are struggling, please feel free to reach out to me personally at dean@engr.psu.edu or contact Penn State Counseling and Psychological Services.

“Be kind. Everyone you meet is carrying a heavy burden.”
—Ian MacLaren

Here are today’s updates:


Upload Your Vaccination Status

If you have not uploaded your vaccination status, please do so by August 23. Employees can share their status using the Salesforce Health Cloud platform and students can upload their vaccination records through myUHS.


University Announces Fall Semester COVID-19 Testing Protocol

Penn State students, faculty, and staff who are not vaccinated for COVID-19 and those who have not shared with the University that they are fully vaccinated will be required to test weekly for COVID-19 throughout the fall semester, or until they share with the University that they have been fully vaccinated. This testing applies to students taking in-person courses and employees working on campus; World Campus students who are fully remote and employees working fully remotely are exempt from the required testing. Significant consequences are in place through the Office of Student Conduct and Human Resources for those who do not comply with the required testing, up to and including separation from the University. Required testing for students starts the week of August 23; the testing start for employees will be finalized next week and is planned to start soon after the student testing begins. Note that if you are vaccinated you will not be required to test weekly — so please get vaccinated if you’ve not already done so!


Reminders: Masking Indoors at All Penn State Campuses and Vaccines

As a reminder, Penn State requires all students, faculty, staff, and visitors—regardless of vaccination status—to wear masks indoors at all campuses. Detailed guidance on the masking requirements and exceptions are found in this document. Members of the community who are not yet vaccinated and are able to do so are strongly encouraged to get vaccinated as soon as possible. Despite the COVID-19 surge as the Delta variant spreads, studies suggest that the currently available vaccines are effective in preventing serious illness in those exposed to the variant. Penn State and the College of Engineering are not impartial when it comes to getting vaccinated, and we strongly recommend getting vaccinated.


Summer 2021 Student COVID-19 Relief Grants

Penn State students who were enrolled at any point during summer session 2021 and who are experiencing financial need as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic are now able to apply for an emergency financial aid grant from the University’s Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF) III allocation. More information can be found here.


Updates to Penn State’s COVID Travel Guidelines

Effective Aug. 16, Penn State lifted its moratorium on University-affiliated international travel, which has been in place since March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. All University-affiliated international travel requests must continue to be submitted by departments via ECAT and be approved by the dean at least one month before departure. All University-affiliated student travel, domestic and international, must also continue to be entered into ECAT by departments for departmental or dean approval, as required. Prior to making travel arrangements, be sure to review the COVID-related University Travel Guidelines for the most current information, including vaccination requirements and health and safety protocols.


Teaching Tip #97 – Simple Canvas Course Setup

When organizing your Canvas site, this simple structure will make it easy for students to stay on track and find what they need, even if they must miss class temporarily. If you need assistance, contact the Office for Digital Learning.


Take care!

Justin Schwartz
Harold and Inge Marcus Dean, College of Engineering