Our fourth week of online
instruction is now complete, and many of us in the Appalachian
Community are finding new routines that help sustain us in this
prolonged and unprecedented situation. We are simultaneously
managing a global crisis, establishing our path to recovery and
working to restore normal operations as much as possible — it is
a tremendous amount of work and, campuswide, we continue rising
to the challenge.
On Saturday, we
shared information about federal funding from the
Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, also known
as the CARES Act, which will provide grant assistance directly
to students as well as to the university. Appalachian’s
allocation is $15,927,932,
with 50% of that amount being provided in the form of direct
aid to students. The U.S. Department of Education is
preparing now to release the funding that will go directly to
students, and the UNC System is working to determine the
allocation formula. The legislation specifies these funds must
be used to cover expenses related to the disruption of campus
operations due to the coronavirus (including eligible expenses
under a student’s cost of attendance, such as food, housing,
course materials, technology, health care and child care). These
funds must be paid directly to students and cannot be used to
refund the cost of reimbursements already paid to students by
the university.
We welcome and appreciate this
much-needed financial relief for students and for the
university. Even with this funding, however, we expect a
significant budget shortfall, given our incurred costs and lost
revenue to date, and our estimated costs and lost revenue
through the end of this fiscal year. Interim Provost Norris,
Vice Chancellor Forte and I have been meeting regularly with the
Faculty Senate Budget Committee. My leadership team and I will
continue providing regular updates to campus about our budget
situation. A university-level budget update is planned to take
place soon, so please look for follow-up communications about
this.
We are all looking ahead to the
fall semester. Along with other UNC System Chancellors, I have
been engaged in many discussions with System leadership about
the delivery method for fall 2020 classes. There are numerous
considerations involved, and it seems we uncover more each day.
Planning for hypotheticals and
contingencies isn’t easy, and I appreciate the work our faculty
and staff are doing to try to plan for so many scenarios.
Likewise, our students and their families are facing deadlines
for signing leases and planning as best as possible for the fall
2020 semester.
While there are still so many
uncertainties, one sure certainty is that, to a person, everyone
at App State is reviewing every option with the best interest of
our students top of mind.
As soon as we have further
information from the UNC System, we will communicate it to the
campus community. Thank you for your patience. Your workday and
study schedules are already packed, yet you continue to help
ensure we are proactive and thoughtful as we struggle with the
ambiguities of the coming weeks and months.
Day after day, Appalachian’s faculty
members demonstrate an immense capacity to care for their students
and colleagues. A special group has been at the forefront of our
transition to online instruction — Appalachian’s
faculty
champions. These approximately 50 faculty members, selected
by the leaders in the
Center for Academic Excellence,
have been providing technical and instructional support to faculty
members since our initial switch and they are still working
steadily to ensure everyone has what they need to be successful.
Along with these faculty there are so many others, who offer
advice and assistance without being asked by anyone. Our faculty
care about our students, about one another and about our staff. We
are incredibly appreciative of their time and efforts.
Appalachian’s staff members also
continue to serve the university and greater communities. I
attended Staff Senate’s monthly meeting this week and was again
struck by the selflessness and “can-do” spirit of Appalachian’s
staff. University Recreation is
offering live classes via Zoom and Instagram; the University Writing
Center is available to students through its online
platform; and the Office of Sustainability has organized virtual
programming for Earth
Month, including the 50th
anniversary of Earth Day next week. Notably, many in our
community are struggling with food insecurity in the midst of
this pandemic. Even with our reduced campus population, the
Office of Sustainability’s Food
Resource Hub has distributed food bags to more than 50 people in the last month. Appalachian’s Academy
at Middle Fork has also been active, distributing school
supplies to 45 families and serving 566 meals, at last count.
Our students are also making the
most of this situation, even as circumstances disappoint.
Students filmed a video of themselves singing “The Song of
Purple Summer” — a song from their production of “Spring
Awakening” originally scheduled for this semester — and garnered
coverage in Broadway World. This is but one example of the
resilience of the Appalachian Spirit, which remains strong.
Though the enormity of this
pandemic’s impact is staggering, each day brings new stories of
Mountaineers rallying behind one another. These snapshots of
hope and points of light sustain us.
Sheri Everts, Chancellor
Social media highlights
Although social distancing is our new normal, the Appalachian
Experience extends far beyond our physical campus location, and
I hope everyone in our community will continue to strengthen
relationships with Mountaineers near and far through the
university’s social media channels
and other virtual platforms offered by campus clubs,
organizations and professional groups. While they are not a
primary mode of communicating, they are one important way to
maintain a sense of connectedness. I will continue to utilize
these outlets to keep our community informed and engaged.
In addition to my weekly updates and social posts, we continue
to send additional updates to campus as key information becomes
available. I encourage you also to regularly visit the
university’s dedicated
coronavirus website for the latest updates, resources and
information as this situation continues to unfold.
-
04.14
— I always enjoy the chance to share university updates and
exchange ideas with Appalachian’s Staff Senate.
-
04.13
— Many thanks to the staff in the Career Development Center for
offering new and timely resources for our students.
-
04.10
— Our university takes seriously the health and safety of those in
our community and beyond, and we encourage all Mountaineers to
stay safe and follow guidance from public health officials.
-
04.08
— Congratulations to Dr. Jennifer Snodgrass for being honored by
the UNC System for excellence in teaching!
-
04.07
— Thank you to the Academic Affairs staff for compiling resources
for App State families who are working and studying from home with
their children.
Follow me on:
