Dear SUNY Oswego Community,
I’d like to thank the entire Laker community for the deep commitment and resolve you have all demonstrated as we navigate the spring 2020 semester. I am incredibly proud of the ways in which you have shown devotion to teaching, fortitude to learn, and an inherent desire to support one another as we move Oswego forward.
You’ve done this while simultaneously managing our collective response to the COVID-19 pandemic to ensure the health and safety of members of our community. Your Laker spirit has been truly inspiring! I am deeply grateful for the positive ways in which our community has responded in this unprecedented time.
Our faculty and staff have shown tremendous resourcefulness in implementing the unprecedented and rapid change to remote teaching and learning. Their dedication to student success continues to impress me. I am also impressed by the ability of our students to adapt to this unexpected change. Our students continue to show the tenacity and grit necessary to continue their path forward.
It is through the support of our entire Laker community that I am certain we will continue to adapt and face the uncertainty arising from the COVID-19 pandemic with resiliency.
We must continue to perform our civic duty to “social distance” and help “flatten the curve” to stem the spread of the virus on our campus, in our communities, and around the globe. We must all continue to do our part in this worldwide historic moment. The safety and health of our community is of the utmost concern, so we remain steadfast in our adaptations to take measures to contain the spread of COVID-19. As such, I want to provide you with important updates.
- SUNY Oswego will continue offering courses through distance learning and other alternative online formats for the remainder of the spring 2020 semester.
- All Summer Session 2020 courses will be offered through online or distance education formats. Provost Scott Furlong is working to determine if courses currently scheduled for face-to-face or hybrid instruction will be transitioned to remote instruction or if they will be cancelled. Students should please talk with their advisor regarding summer courses.
- All non-essential State employees will continue to work remotely until at least April 29, 2020. The original telecommuting application approval has been extended until that date.
It is hard to make these decisions—we miss you all—but we are doing what is right, not easy. We are rising to deliver on our mission of excellence in higher education as we remain a community of care and compassion that strengthens the world. In my lifetime, there has never been a more perfect example of how all people are literally connected to each other around the globe.
Our commitment to ensuring all of our students receive the education they deserve and access to the academic credits they require remains strong … Laker strong. I encourage our students to stay connected with our faculty, advisors, and classmates and visit the Student Online Learning Portal for helpful resources.
Although this semester has taken completely unexpected turns, we will get through this together. We will continue to move Oswego forward together, and we will continue to adapt and face the uncertainty arising from the COVID-19 pandemic with resiliency together. #TogetherOz.
In the days and weeks ahead, please do your best to stay safe and healthy. Please stay connected, too. Check “Notes from Home” every day to get a glimpse of your campus home here at SUNY Oswego and check in on social media to let the rest of our Laker community know how and what you are doing. I look forward to seeing you all again, soon.
Warmest regards,
Deborah F. Stanley
President