Letter from the Dean

The spring 2020 semester certainly turned out to be one of the more interesting ones any of us has ever experienced. While we were all aware of the toll the novel coronavirus was taking overseas, it seemed far removed from us early in the academic semester as we continued with our daily tasks in the college. Little did we know that within an extremely short period of time, we would become, as I’ve called it, “At-Home CSU.”

I have been extremely impressed with the ways in which everyone, from all sectors of the university, have chipped in to make this transition workable. Our faculty, who had to figure out ways to deliver the content from their in-class courses, have stepped up in an impressive manner. Having experience in teaching online courses, I know only too well how big an ask this was. Delivering content online is a wholly different experience from doing so live, in person, in a classroom. Having to revise syllabi and then figure out how to pull off teaching the last six weeks of the semester in an online format takes, as we have become fond of saying, a Herculean effort.

It’s also true that an impressive amount of thinking outside the box and creativity have been demonstrated in this effort. It seems most of our students also worked hard to make this adjustment. Most transitioned admirably to the ‘needs must’ circumstance we found ourselves in. Those students who are not drawn to, or fond of, the online environment are doing their level best to cope. In consequence of the Governor’s stay-at-home order, students have lost employment, have had to work out how to study at home successfully, and for some, to struggle with illness in their family. Our faculty are mindful of these struggles and are taking a kinder, gentler approach toward all their students. In keeping with this approach, the University has agreed to allow students to choose to be graded pass/fail instead of a letter grade, so long as there are no accreditation or regulatory requiring a letter grade. This practice is being adopted nation-wide and is meant to relieve some of the stress our students and faculty are experiencing.

Many of us have come to greatly appreciate the software program, Zoom, since it allows us to ‘be together’ via live video meetings. Even if a meeting looks a bit like a larger version of the opening to The Brady Bunch, it has proved invaluable. While we all enjoy the benefits email has brought to us, it has its limitations when it comes to communication. Nothing can replace face-to-face interactions and Zoom provides a fairly decent facsimile. Faculty, staff, and students are all getting a crash course in the successful use of this, and other, technology. Again, it’s impressive to see everyone figuring it out, making it work.

Sadly, we were forced to cancel all of the many events and performances everyone had been spending time organizing, practicing for, etc. While we did so with a heavy heart, we all recognized the importance of acting responsibly, doing our part to insure the health and safety of ourselves, and most importantly, that of our vulnerable friends and neighbors.

We all look forward to getting back to campus and taking up our usual way of doing things. In the meanwhile, we will continue to adapt in order to maintain the services needed to help all of our students realize their educational mission.

Allyson Robichaud

Interim Dean, College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences