Message from President Christian: Planning for fall 2020 at SUNY New Paltz

Dear Current and Accepted SUNY New Paltz Students,

Whether you are a current student at New Paltz or will be attending as a new student, we know that the coronavirus pandemic has disrupted your educational experience this spring. You have had to adapt to different ways of learning, manage the loss associated with physical separation from friends, family, mentors, familiar places, and are coping with the current uncertainty of what happens next. We admire your continued dedication to your educational future.

On top of the coronavirus pandemic, our nation is in the throes of anger, hurt, anxiety, fear, and frustration over long and deeply entrenched issues of race and racism in America. I know that recent incidents and the protests and dialogues they have generated have touched the SUNY New Paltz community deeply, just as I am sure they have had an impact on many prospective students. We have publicly acknowledged the trauma that these recent incidents have amplified for many members of our community, especially black students and employees and other people of color. Our university police department has publicly criticized recent incidents of police violence and shared information about the department’s core values and training.

The work of our faculty and students through “Black Lives Matter in School” – undertaken long before this spring – is increasing awareness and fostering important discussion about race, racism, equity, and inclusion. That work has taken on even greater significance following recent events. Our Black Studies Department is one of the oldest in the country, and the department and the perspectives of its faculty, students, and alumni provide an important guide and beacon for the work ahead. We know that our campus must move beyond words, and we are actively planning – in partnership with student leaders – key steps to better turn our values and commitments into action, including with new fall semester programming. Our campus came together successfully in 2017-19 for thoughtful discussion and action that led to removing and replacing names on several campus buildings that had direct ties to slavery (https://www.newpaltz.edu/hasbrouck-renaming/); we are committed to similar dialogue and action.

I am writing because I know that you are facing uncertainties about what the fall 2020 semester will be like related to coronavirus and the nation’s racial and political climate. People across the nation are asking whether life on college and university campuses will be back to normal or something close to it, and whether all students will be welcomed. We have heard these questions from students, parents, faculty, staff, and community members. I can promise that we are working hard to plan for a great fall semester that will provide the best possible education for you and other students.

Our goal and hope is to have students on campus taking classes face-to-face with professors and fellow students and experiencing a rich campus life – certainly with additional precautions to keep everyone safe and healthy. Our decisions about fall semester will be driven by the course of the pandemic in the coming months, and by primary concerns about the health and welfare of our students and other members of the campus community – not by our preset academic calendar. That approach is consistent with current planning for re-starting the New York economy, and we are heartened by the signs of progress across the State including in the Hudson Valley. Thus, any decision we make will follow directives of the Governor and the New York State and Ulster County Health Departments, and will be coordinated across campuses by SUNY administration. The decision about how “normal” our campus will be this fall will not be made entirely by me as president or by other New Paltz campus leaders.

Accordingly, as we plan to have a “live,” residential fall semester with full residence halls and a similar mix of classroom and online offerings as in prior years, we are also making contingency plans to adapt to the changing nature of the pandemic and the federal, state, and local responses to managing it. On one end of the planning continuum is a live, fully residential experience, while on the other would be an all on-line teaching and learning experience. Between these two end points are numerous scenarios that we at New Paltz and leaders at other institutions across the nation are exploring so that we can be prepared to provide outstanding educational experiences for you in any circumstance.

I observed our faculty and staff as they pivoted abruptly this spring to remote teaching and am humbled as I watch them dedicate themselves to prepare for your fall semester – whatever form it takes. Their commitment to and support of our students, along with their innovative teaching and scholarship, are a hallmark of the New Paltz student experience.

I can offer two assurances. We will inform you of our plans for the fall semester including delivery of instruction as soon as we have a clearer picture of the future. Secondly, we will take the actions, expend the energy, and employ the creativity and innovation necessary to provide students – all students, including those most heavily impacted by coronavirus and racial disparities in our country, with the outstanding educational and community experiences that have made SUNY New Paltz the remarkable institution that attracted you to attend here in the first place. That commitment to the pursuit of excellence is one of our hallmarks and it will sustain us and our mission as we move into this uncertain future.

I wish you well and look forward to your becoming part of our college community this fall.

Sincerely,

Donald P. Christian
President