Thank You and University Updates
Dear Faculty,

In March our world changed, and we were forced into challenges our generations have never before confronted. Times like these either bring people together or tear them apart. We have all pulled together and the success of those we served will become your legacy. 

Your resolute and steadfast support of our students resulted in more than 2,115 degrees and certificates, and more importantly, lives and families changed. You did this in a time of unprecedented difficulty for both the students and yourselves, and as a university we have had to make hard decisions. The transition we made in the past two months affected everyone, and the sacrifices you and your families made is beyond measure. I cannot thank you enough for your strength and commitment to ISU.

While we did not have the opportunity to celebrate the end of the term in the ways that we have come to love and appreciate, I applaud each of you for finding meaningful ways to maintain our traditions. If you are longing for Commencement, and have not already done so, be sure to view the Department of Music’s moving and beautiful Pomp and Circumstance tribute to our students and faculty. Our departments and programs hosted a wide variety of innovative virtual celebrations that meant a great deal to our students. Thank you for the planning and work that went into these efforts to honor our students and provide support to our colleagues.

Academic Affairs is hard at work planning for the Fall Semester. As you know, we are preparing for a face-to-face start in August, but there will be changes to the class schedule, classroom locations, and potentially to the calendar as we plan to ensure the health and safety of our campus community. This crisis has highlighted the value of face-to-face classroom connections while making it clear that our investments as a pioneer in distance-delivery have given us an edge. These efforts are part of the University’s planning infrastructure for Fall, which includes four committees working on instruction, employees, students and campus services, and community.

We are also planning a series of Town Halls for early June to update you on these efforts; dates and times are listed below, and Zoom access links are available at isu.edu/townhall .

  • June 1 at 1 p.m. - Eli M. Oboler Library, Graduate School, ITRC, IR, Early College, ASAP (Student Success), Academic Affairs staff
  • June 3 at 3 p.m. - KDHS
  • June 4 at 1 p.m. - College of Technology
  • June 8 at 3 p.m. - College of Arts and Letters / College of Education
  • June 8 at 10 a.m. - KDHS
  • June 11 at 1 p.m. - College of Science and Engineering / College of Business 

As President Satterlee has recently reiterated , we are planning for a face-to-face start in the Fall. That said, there will be expanded opportunities for classroom flexibility. If you are interested in increasing your distance-based instruction skills this summer, the ITRC is offering a variety of instructional technology workshops and professional development opportunities. They are providing on-demand support for Moodle, Google, Office, Examity, Turnitin, and Zoom applications as well as in-depth Quality+ course review options.

I look forward to being together with everyone very soon. The individual connections we make with each other and our students gives us purpose and community.  

Stay safe,

–– Laura


Laura Woodworth-Ney
Executive Vice President and Provost
Idaho State
This email was sent to Idaho State University faculty.
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