No on-campus instruction on May 11

Published 05.07.2020

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Pennsylvania College of Technology has further revised plans for completing the Spring 2020 semester, postponing Monday's intended reopening for limited in-person coursework. In asking for students' continued patience as the institution weighs its academic diligence against broader health concerns, President Davie Jane Gilmour vowed that case-by-case guidance for all affected students will be issued by May 15.


The following message was shared Thursday afternoon with the Penn College community:


The continuing COVID-19 pandemic has posed immense challenges as we strive to balance our instructional commitment to you, our tomorrow makers, with the equally essential promise to keep you and the entire Penn College community safe throughout these extraordinary times.

Owing to the resourcefulness and resolve of our students and faculty, I am pleased to say we will complete 93% of our 1,426 regularly scheduled Spring 2020 courses by our shift to a remotely delivered instructional/learning model.

For the remaining 543 students – who we had hoped to welcome back to campus on May 11 to complete required in-person labs and clinical experiences – unavoidable circumstances now warrant that we ask once again for your continued patience and understanding.

While Lycoming County has been moved to a yellow designation in the governor’s process for reopening Pennsylvania, and while resumption of our noncredit health care-related workforce development programs has been approved, we have been unable to secure dispensation to deliver for-credit in-person education at this time, so you cannot return to campus on Monday to complete your coursework. While we believe we could have delivered on our instructional promise safely and efficiently, we recognize that the guidance we must follow is based on an abundance of caution prompted by unprecedented circumstances.

We understand that this is especially disappointing for the 38 students who petitioned to graduate this month following the conclusion of the spring semester, but who require in-person instruction to do so. We know that you are eager to complete your degree requirements and begin exploring your career options. I pledge that you will be our No. 1 priority as we develop contingency plans allowing you to complete your education with us as swiftly as possible.

By Friday, May 15, we will communicate these plans to all of the 500-plus students who must return to campus to complete their unfinished Spring 2020 coursework. This guidance will specify – on a course-by-course basis – how we intend to expedite completion of the remaining required instruction so that you may better plan for your future.

We have come this far; I seek your indulgence once more as we commit all of our institution’s energy and focus to helping you further your education with the least possible delay. Please stay safe and be well.

Davie Jane Gilmour
President