Coronavirus Update - March 11

CUNY SPS Coronavirus Task Force Update

Dear Colleagues:

On behalf of the CUNY SPS Coronavirus Task Force, which met yesterday, I am writing to provide updates to the community. The Task Force will provide such updates following each of its meetings and on an ongoing basis as new information becomes available.

• Large Gatherings: As per the University’s guidelines, the Task Force recommends that the School not hold non-instructional meetings to be attended by more than 50 people through March 31^st. This will be revisited after March 31^st.
• Working from Home: The Office of Human Resources has received a number of questions regarding working from home. CUNY SPS remains open at this time, with the policy that individuals who are not ill are expected to report to work. Embedded PEWL staff should follow the guidance provided by the agency partner and be prepared to work remotely if agency closings occur.  
• If you feel ill, DO NOT report to work. Please contact your supervisor and refer to https://www1.nyc.gov/site/doh/health/health-topics/coronavirus.page for guidance regarding Coronavirus symptoms and recommended actions.
• Reporting illness: Members of the faculty, tax-levy staff, or Research Foundation staff who may need to report contact with the Coronavirus should contact K. Maynard, director of human resources, at kristin.maynard@cuny.edu or 646-664-8680 directly. Students who report contact with the Coronavirus should be referred to Washington Hernandez at washington.hernandez@cuny.edu.  
• Plans for Online Professional Development for Classroom Instructors: The Office of Faculty Development and Instructional Technology (OFDIT) will be providing resources to and working with instructors who currently teach classroom-based courses for us, in the event that we must move all of our courses online; OFDIT is working directly with the academic directors on these plans. Instructors should contact their academic directors regarding how to proceed (rather than contacting OFDIT).
• Please be sure to maintain current cell phone and home phone numbers in CUNYfirst.
• In addition, Deans and Directors, please be sure to collect contact information (including personal email addresses and cell phone numbers) from all members of your staff, for your own use if necessary. Please also forward these lists to washington.hernandez@cuny.edu.
• As always, for the most recent information about the virus and the status of the University, please be sure to visit the CUNY coronavirus website, https://www.cuny.edu/coronavirus/ which will be updated as new information becomes available. We have also created our own School website, https://sps.cuny.edu/coronavirus-update, containing information particular to our community.
• The Office of Enrollment Management and Student Services will be sending an email to students that is similar to this one, containing pertinent updates and resources.

We know that this is an anxious time for many of our students, faculty, and staff. Thank you for your cooperation as we process rapidly-changing information and guidelines. As always, please feel free to contact me at lia.kudless@cuny.edu with any questions you may have. Please do not send questions directly to the University-wide Coronavirus Task Force.

Sincerely,

The CUNY SPS Coronavirus Task Force

Washington Hernandez, Associate Dean of Administration & Finance
Andrea Fagon, Director of Marketing & Communications
Lia Kudless, Chief of Staff
Jennifer Grace Lee, Associate Dean of Enrollment Management & Student Services
K. Maynard, Director of Human Resources
George Otte, Senior Associate Dean of Academic Affairs
Amy Perez, Executive Director, PEWL
Marge Reilly, Academic Director, Nursing
Bronwen Stine, Assistant Dean of Information Technology
Habeebah Yasin, Administrative Coordinator
Sarah Zeller-Berkman, Academic Director, Youth Studies

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Lia J. Kudless, PhD
Chief of Staff
School of Professional Studies
The City University of New York
(646) 664-8650