Chancellor Judy C. Miner sent the following message via email to Foothill-De Anza district employees.
April 16, 2020
Dear Colleagues,
This afternoon I met with leaders of our bargaining units, Classified Senates, Academic Senates, colleges’ senior staffs, and Chancellor’s Cabinet. (Our student body presidents were invited but couldn’t attend.) I convened the group to seek their reactions to our current thinking about Summer 2020 and Fall 2020 class schedules and offered these two proposals:
1. Shall we schedule Summer 2020 classes totally online with the exception of allied health programs such as nursing, radiologic technology, respiratory therapy, and EMT/paramedic?
2. Shall we schedule Fall 2020 classes online or hybrid in preparation for the possibility of a return to shelter-in-place during fall?
For Summer 2020, there was great appreciation for the urgency to establish a schedule in the midst of many unknowns including whether or not the shelter-in-place order would be lifted for all and how quickly could we sanitize our facilities for face-to-face instruction. Given the overwhelming agreement that we continue with online instruction for summer (Number 1 above), the colleges will now plan accordingly.
For Fall 2020, there was a great deal of discussion about the even greater number of unknowns in comparison to Summer 2020. A clear consensus emerged that more time and thought are needed to consider a wider range of approaches than represented by hybrid or fully online (Number 2 above). In response, I have asked the colleges to schedule additional discussion and consultation. I did not specify a deadline for a recommendation from the college presidents during today’s discussion, but would like to have one in early May.
Let me conclude by thanking the 33 leaders who attended today’s meeting and helped inform next steps in a very substantial way. The collective wisdom of Foothill-De Anza is truly one of our greatest assets!
Stay safe, stay well, stay home,
Judy