Message to Faculty and Staff, July 21, 2020
Good morning,
Only five weeks before the beginning of classes, and much remains up in the air. We continue planning for a mix of FlexSync, in-person, and online course delivery.
One of the questions that we didn’t get to during last week’s faculty and staff town hall was: What evidence is there that students want in-person experiences this fall?
Understanding and connecting directly with our students has been a primary focus since the pandemic disrupted our operations in March. Our comprehensive, interpersonal approach to student success during the pandemic is perhaps unique within our state and beyond. I want to thank the many students, staff, and faculty that have undertaken a tremendous effort to reach out to thousands of students. Here is a summary of the outreach that has been done to assess student interests and concerns:
- Redeployed staff from across the university, led by the Division of Student Success, Analytics & Integrated Planning, spoke individually with 6,007 students during the spring semester.
- Academic advising staff have met individually with nearly 2,000 first-year students this summer, with 500 more conversations scheduled.
- A team of 27 faculty members are currently in the process of calling more than 2,500 students to check-in with them as we get closer to the start of fall classes.
The overwhelming sentiment expressed by thousands of students in these conversations was a desire for on-campus, in-person fall experiences.
Here are a few of the ways we are trying to accomplish safe, on-campus, in-person fall experiences:
- Requiring face coverings indoors on-campus with certain exceptions and with appropriate accommodations available for those who are unable to wear them
- Obtaining thousands of face shields and transparent masks for faculty members who would prefer that option when teaching
- Removing thousands of chairs and other furniture from classrooms and public spaces; indicator dots will show where people and chairs should be, and signage will state social distancing requirements
- Placing hand sanitizer stations and disinfectant wipes in every classroom and public space
- Adjusting cleaning protocols to adhere to the Minnesota Department of Health and Office of Higher Education guidance
- Deploying a highly-visible social norms campaign to encourage safe behavior
Most of the public health indicators are trending in the wrong direction. Thousands of questions remain, and our Return to Learn and Work teams continue their progress, adapting their work as new public health guidance is shared with us. The resulting plans are being shared as they are completed. This week, I can report that our Employee Expectations for Returning to Work document has been posted here: https://mankato.mnsu.edu/about-the-university/news-and-events/covid-19-novel-coronavirus-and-the-campus-community/return-to-learn/timeline-and-planning/return-to-work/
During the coming days and weeks, you will see additional communication outlining plans and procedures on topics like student activities, distribution of cleaning supplies and PPE, health and safety training, events and meeting guidelines, and much more.
Once again, I want to urge everyone to remain patient. Day-to-day developments are shaping our work, and no one can predict what the situation will be in five weeks. We are planning for a variety of scenarios. Please share your concerns, ideas, and questions with me at provost@mnsu.edu.
I encourage everyone to find time during the remaining weeks to relax and recharge. Thank you for all you do for our students and our university. Stay safe.
Kind regards,
Matt
