Follow Up: Important Faculty Info

Dear Faculty,

As you saw in President Walk’s message to the community, the College is transitioning to remote instruction beginning on Thursday, March 19th. Our current plan is to continue remote instruction until the beginning of spring break, Friday, April 3rd. We expect to return to on-campus instruction on Monday, April 13th. Of course, we will continue monitoring the situation and update you accordingly.

Classes will be held as scheduled tomorrow (Wednesday). All classes will be suspended on Thursday (3/12), Friday (3/13), Monday (3/16) and Tuesday (3/17) so that all full-time and part-time faculty can participate in Faculty In-Service Activities on those days. At APC tomorrow, we will develop a schedule of meetings, trainings, workshops and related to activities for these days. To the extent possible, we will create this schedule utilizing our class day/time grid so that faculty will be able to participate in many of these activities. Full-time faculty should also note that the Faculty Council meeting on Monday (3/16) will be held as scheduled.

Classes will also be held as scheduled on Saturday (3/14) and Sunday (3/15).

Regarding Advisement, full-time faculty should continue meeting with Juniors and Seniors in person or electronically (email, telephone, Zoom, etc.) and continue doing so through next Wednesday’s Advisement Day, when classes are not in session. Faculty should plan for remote advising with sophomores and first-year students from March 19th through March 27th. At APC tomorrow, we will discuss various advisement-related issues and I will update you accordingly.

As noted above, beginning on Thursday, March 19th, we will transition fully to remote instruction. This will continue through Friday, April 3rd.  At this time, we expect to return to normal, in-class instruction after spring break on Monday, April 13, but we will continue to monitor the situation and stay in contact with you throughout this period. At APC tomorrow and during our Faculty In-Service Days, we will discuss various issues related to remote instruction, including attendance policies and accommodating students with special needs.

During this period, the campus will remain open unless there is a confirmed case of COVID-19. This means that faculty will have access to their offices and that we will also schedule various meetings so that faculty can continue collaborating as we move forward with remote instruction. I will circulate a schedule for these meetings as soon as possible.

Please note that the Library will be available for those students who require equipment and resources in order to support their academics, barring any unforeseen circumstances which would require the College to fully close. The reference desk will serve as a resource for all library needs. Please contact 212-774-4808.

Ongoing technical support will be available for all full- and part-time faculty. For Zoom/Blackboard Assistance, contact the IT Help Desk at 212-517-0580 or usersupport@mmm.edu.

I urge you to closely monitor your MMC email during this period of remote instruction. If you have not yet registered for ConnectED, MMC’s emergency notification system, please do so here. If you did not receive a text message notifying you of President Walk’s email to the community, you are not fully registered for this system and must update your contact information immediately.

For updates on the COVID-19 situation, including plans should a case be identified at the College and important health reminders, please continue visiting the website: www.mmm.edu/coronavirus.

I want to thank you for your tremendous effort in helping us transition to remote instruction. This has been an exceptionally trying time for everyone in the higher education landscape, and I am truly impressed by how quickly, effectively, and creatively our community has come together. We will continue to remain in close contact and collaborate on making this as smooth a transition as possible.  

Best,

Peter Naccarato
Interim Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean of the Faculty

Published: March 10, 2020