[Important Information for Employees] Planning for Our Fall Return to Campus

[Office of the President]

Dear Campus Community,

Students across the SUNY system have clearly communicated their strong
preference for in-person education, and our students have expressed the
same. More than 100 of our fall students chose not to return this spring
and reported that the remote delivery of their classes was a primary
factor.

As we contemplate the 2021-2022 academic year, increasing access to
vaccines and improving COVID trends lead us to conclude that we can now
plan for a return to campus with the goal of maximizing face-to-face
operations.

This academic year has required all of us to meet new challenges in
realizing our student-centered practices while facing the complexities of
COVID on our campus and in the surrounding community. Your contributions
have been exceptional and remain inspiring. Extra steps taken and special
stories of service have been the norm, not the exception, all across our
campus, involving faculty, staff, and administrative leadership.

We will develop a revised course schedule in the next two weeks for Fall
2021 and begin to plan all the additional steps necessary for a full return
to campus in late August.

As we embark on further planning, here are some points to keep in mind:

   - *We expect most classes will be in person.* Our undergraduate programs
   have been approved by Middle States for residential delivery (exceptions
   were permitted during the pandemic). These approvals limit how much
   coursework for a given program can be delivered in a remote modality. Some
   courses will be online or in a hybrid format, as in the past, adding value
   and flexibility to student learning in particular areas. The provost’s
   office and registrar are preparing specific directions for the revised fall
   course schedule, and these will be sent to deans and department chairs as
   soon as possible..
   - *Campus housing, community living and dining services will largely
   match the pre-COVID landscape.* This includes the ability of more clubs,
   organizations, athletics and recreational sports to meet in person.
   - *Since all state employees are now eligible for vaccinations, we urge
   all employees to  get vaccines. *At this point, we cannot predict what
   guidelines from the state and/or county will be in place for further
   testing, vaccinations, social distancing, and masking for the fall, but we
   will be fully compliant with all health and safety mandates. Additionally,
   we will communicate specific health and medical requirements with current
   and incoming students as they are developed.
   - *Staff presence on campus will be greater with the return to higher
   residential density.* Any flexibility in telecommuting for employees
   will be communicated as plans are further developed.
   - *We expect the need for remote support and student services will
   continue.* Many of you have noted that the pandemic has changed our
   understanding of what we can provide to students and transformed
   assumptions about how we can best educate our students.  Zoom and similar
   tools will retain their value on our campus moving forward.
   - *We will follow direction and guidance as it comes. *For example, the
   CDC recently modified its classroom social distancing rules to three feet.
   As of now, we are recalculating classroom caps based on this guidance--a
   positive step in terms of actually housing all of the in-person classes we
   hope to schedule.  Recommendations from the CDC may change throughout the
   summer, and we will respond accordingly.

Nothing about this past year has been easy. COVID has changed each of us,
and it would be inaccurate to call our fall plans a return to normal. The
pandemic pushed us all to be flexible and to innovate, and we must continue
to be similarly creative as we build the “Plattsburgh Next” strategic plan
alongside our planning for the fall semester.

Cardinal Strong is wording frequently celebrated throughout our campus, and
we truly have been Cardinal Strong in more ways than we can count.

Please watch for additional communications about this next phase of
planning over the coming weeks.

With gratitude,

Dr. Alexander Enyedi
President

Dr. Anne Herzog
Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs
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