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At last week’s short Board of Governors meeting, Chancellor Daniel Greenstein gave a brief update about integration progress at this early stage, mentioning the “breadth and audacity” of work so far and “ambitious and audacious goals.” He also referred to the work as “phenomenal” and “inspiring.” He mentioned changes at Indiana University of Pennsylvania, though it is not one of the integrating schools. He called the plan at IUP “very audacious, a very ambitious and actually a quite powerful strategy, its NextGen strategy, which is really breathtaking in scope.”

He concluded his presentation: “It’s hard work. It’s emotional work because it is so profoundly transformational. It’s anxiety-producing work. … There’s bumps, obviously, along the way, and there will continue to be. But it’s profoundly inspiring stuff.”

WATCH:
• The BOG meeting, queued to Greenstein’s comments
• Integrations leadership orientation meeting

READ:
• State System university integrations page
• State System material about integration working groups

MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD:
• Board of Governors directory
• State System directory
• Redesign feedback form

The Association of Pennsylvania State College and University Faculties is encouraged by the new guidance released yesterday by the Pennsylvania Department of Education and the Pennsylvania Department of Health.

We are happy to see the new recommendations that colleges and universities develop plans for COVID-19 testing for students and employees. The recommendations include COVID-19 testing of students who are returning to campus after breaks, contract tracing, and communication plans aimed at ensuring the safety of our students, faculty and staff.

Prior to the fall semester, APSCUF warned that having students return for face-to-face instruction would result in outbreaks of COVID-19 cases; unfortunately, those fears became reality. There have been more than 1,180 cases of COVID-19 at the three universities that decided to hold face-to-face classes (IUP, Bloomsburg and Kutztown). Additionally, a lack of a clear testing plan at Cheyney University has raised questions and concerns among our faculty.

We hope these recommendations for much-needed testing and contract-tracing plans will lead to better decision-making about the return to in-person university instruction for the remainder of the academic year. We hope these new measures will require administrations to fully implement plans and communicate them widely to students and their families, faculty and staff.

Today is a somber, sad day. More than 100 of our faculty colleagues have learned they may lose their jobs at the end of this academic year. The students those faculty teach, advise and mentor will lose opportunities. But this is not over. We will keep fighting.

Click here to read today’s press release.

Click here to learn more about how students, alumni and community can fight #withAPSCUF.

Members may click here for a members-only retrenchment toolkit (login required).

Photo/Pennsylvania House Republican Communications Multimedia Division footage

As required by Act 50 of 2020, Chancellor Daniel Greenstein updated legislators about Pennsylvania’s State System of Higher Education’s redesign and integration plans at joint House and Senate appropriation- and education-committee hearings Monday and Wednesday. Click here to watch the full House hearing, and click here to watch the full Senate hearing. Read APSCUF’s collated tweets from the hearings below.

Updated flu-shot information is posted on APSCUF’s forms-and-benefits page.

Highmark subscribers are eligible for up to two free masks. Click here and enter your ID (ONLY the numerical portion, not the preceding letters) to check your eligibility and to place an order.