[Teaching-Faculty] Two faculty updates

[Office of the Provost/VPAA]

Colleagues,

I want to update you on some recent challenges related to the processing of
our COVID tests that may be impacting notifications related to students and
their authorization to attend in person class sessions.  With the snowy
weather last week, FedEx, our usual carrier for pick-up and delivery of the
boxed samples, has been (at times) quite delayed in their deliveries.  This
week, Plattsburgh employees have been asked to drive the samples directly
to the processing location to side-step these shipping delays.

Also, there is clearly a highly increased volume of tests requiring
processing at SUNY Upstate Medical University because all of our campuses
are required to test *everyone* coming to campus (students/faculty/staff)
every week.  Results from the test processing have taken longer than they
did in the fall semester, which also delays our ability to confidently
assess students in terms of the safety of their attending in person
classes.  I am sharing this information just so you have a fuller picture
of some of the challenges we have been facing *administratively* as we work
to keep our campus safe.

A second note: Faculty Senate Executive representatives spoke with the
President and me at Tuesday’s meeting about their concerns about scheduling
the fall 2021 semester (if it remains COVID-influenced) with no fall break
and no return from Thanksgiving week.  I shared at that meeting that
President Enyedi is supportive of our working to build in some wellness or
rejuvenation days (which a few other comprehensive campuses have found to
be beneficial for both faculty and students).  I have decided to charge an
ad hoc committee to develop a plan for consideration and am asking each
Academic Dean to identify one chairperson and one faculty non-chairperson
from each school to serve on this committee.  There will also be a
representative from the library appointed.  The deans will be communicating
very soon with their schools on this topic.

I hope the semester continues to go well for each of you and that you are
starting to look forward to spring’s arrival as much as I am.  More light
and warmer days!

My best,

Anne


--
ANNE HERZOG,
PhD
(She, Her, Hers)
Provost
Vice President for Academic Affairs
802 Kehoe
101 Broad Street
Plattsburgh, NY 12901
(o) 518-564-5402
plattsburgh.edu <https://www.plattsburgh.edu/>
[image: Facebook Logo] <https://www.facebook.com/sunyplattsburgh> [image:
Twitter Logo] <https://twitter.com/sunyplattsburgh> [image: Instagram Logo]
<https://www.instagram.com/sunyplattsburgh/> [image: Snapchat Logo]
<https://www.snapchat.com/add/sunyplattsburgh> [image: LinkedIn Logo]
<https://www.linkedin.com/school/suny-plattsburgh/>

[image: SUNY Plattsburgh Logo]
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://ls.plattsburgh.edu/pipermail/teaching-faculty/attachments/20210225/9f7f105b/attachment.htm>