Weekly Campus Update
En español
May 6, 2020
Dear RIC Faculty and Staff,
I want to thank you all for everything you have done to support our students and the college during the last two months. Your innovation, creativity and problem solving have helped us navigate through this difficult time and I am grateful for your hard work, dedication and commitment.
In an effort to provide consistency in our updates and keep you informed, we will be providing weekly updates every Wednesday. In this communication, you will find a number of updates related to the following:
- Reopening Rhode Island. Reopening Rhode Island College.
- Virtual Celebration for the Class of 2020
- Mission and Vision Statement Review
- Fraudulent Unemployment Claims
- Rhode Island College COVID Archives
Reopening Rhode Island. Reopening Rhode Island College.
After several weeks of efforts to flatten the curve and mitigate the spread of COVID-19, Governor Gina Raimondo recently unveiled her plan charting the course to reopen Rhode Island. The plan, which will be implemented in stages, offers a sobering reminder that until a vaccine is made available, this disease will remain in our communities, impacting many of our state’s residents. In order to address the challenges that lie ahead, each of us throughout the state must work together to resume our work with health and safety in mind.
The college remains open, though access to most campus facilities remains limited. All events, regardless of size and including those organized by outside community partners, are currently cancelled, but subject to change based further upon guidance from health care professionals. If you have questions about campus events, contact the Office of Campus Events and Conference Services at 401-456-8900 or events@ric.edu.
In August, we look forward to welcoming returning and incoming students for the start of another academic year. As we develop our plans for the fall, we are doing so in accordance with guidance from the Governor's Office and the Rhode Island Department of Health (RIDOH).
Specifically, the college, along with each of the state’s other public and private colleges and universities, is part of the COVID-19 Higher Education Planning Group, which will develop guidelines that each institution must use to address the unique challenges of higher education institutions. Each institution must submit its plan to RIDOH by June 15 for review and feedback.
To that end, I have charged nearly 80 members of the faculty and staff to plan for a variety of scenarios ranging from face-to-face to fully-online instruction to a hybrid delivery.
The RIC Online Planning Committee, co-chaired by Jon Bartelson and George Ladd, is identifying strategies to support remote teaching and learning. In an ideal situation, we would return to campus as we always have, but we must plan for scenarios where that may not be possible. The RIC Online Planning Committee is examining all facets of remote instruction, including technology needs, faculty training and support for students.
The Strategic Budget and Resources Planning Committee, co-chaired by Steve Nedder and Sue Pearlmutter, is conducting an analysis of the college’s structural deficit. We must anticipate decreases in our state allocation and decreases in tuition and fee revenue based on the devastating economic impact of COVID-19. This situation will undoubtedly further challenge the college’s budget and efforts to address the structural deficit. This committee will make recommendations for balancing the college’s budget by addressing realistic revenue opportunities and achieving expense savings.
With a new focus on immediate planning, I have redirected the Strategic Planning Committee, co-chaired by Kim Dumpson and Julie Horwitz, to bring together all components of the plan that will be submitted to RIDOH in June.
Building upon the expertise and perspectives of this broad group of faculty and staff from every division, we will implement a plan at the start of the new fiscal year that will position us to lead into the future despite unprecedented adversity.
Virtual Celebration for the Class of 2020
Typically, during this time of year, we would be gearing up for commencement. While circumstances will prevent us from gathering together, I invite you to join us for a virtual celebration on Saturday, May 16 at 9 a.m. as we invite faculty, staff, family, friends and fellow students to celebrate accomplishments of the undergraduate and graduate members of the Class of 2020. The virtual celebration will feature remarks from Governor Gina Raimondo and Class of 2020 President, Jeni Melo, as well as messages from the Rhode Island College Alumni Association and the golden anniversary Class of 1970.
A special video presentation tailored to each school and comprised of images submitted by the graduates themselves, will be shared online along with the names of each graduate. Following the virtual celebration of our graduates, I invite you to join us for a RIC CARES concert, which will feature student performers who will pay tribute to the many members of our campus community who have supported the college and our state in recent months.
We Need Your Feedback on the Mission and Vision Statement.
I want to thank the Mission and Goals Committee of the Council of Rhode Island College, which was charged with working on a revision of the college's Mission, Vision and Core Values statements. A proposal was submitted to RIC’s Executive Council for review and now we are seeking feedback. Please read the statements and fill out the feedback form at this link by May 15, 2020.
Be Aware of Fraudulent Unemployment Claims.
We wish to make you aware of a recent rash of fraudulent unemployment claims filed with the Department of Labor and Training (DLT) across the state affecting several RIC employees.
Rhode Island College is taking this matter seriously. The Office of Human Resources is immediately contacting all employees regarding any claims that appear fraudulent. All confirmed fraudulent claims are immediately reported to DLT Fraud Unit and RI Department of Administration (DOA). Additionally, if you have received a notice from DLT regarding a claim that you have not filed, please notify Janine Tegu, Manager of HR, jtegu@ric.edu.
DLT is working with law enforcement, the RI Attorney General (RIAG), and the FBI to investigate and resolve these matters. For helpful information and tips on how to keep your personal information and identity safe go to: https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/topics/privacy-identity-online-security
Thank You For Being the Brand.
In light of the new challenges we face, we must continue to reposition and strengthen the college’s brand in order to maintain and increase our enrollments, support retention, garner philanthropic support and enhance overall awareness of the college and our impact in the community. We want to thank each of you who provide the stories, share your ideas and show your #RICSpirit every day by being one of the college’s many brand ambassadors.
Right now, the college is actively engaged with (add)ventures on an improved branding campaign while work continues with OHO Interactive on the transition of our college’s website to a new and more dynamic platform.
Multiple social media campaigns are underway to promote deposits among incoming students and registration among current students. Specific social media appeals and radio advertisements are in planning stages for deployment later this month to target transfer and graduate students.
We are continuing to highlight our faculty, students and alumni during this moment of great challenge through the many @RICNews stories that are posted online and via social media.
In the coming weeks, we will be leveraging our partnerships with our advertising partners to develop new video content for deployment on our multimedia platforms.
We have heard from many of you that you want to be more involved in our efforts to promote the college. Please let us know if you would like additional information on how you can be the brand.
Rhode Island College COVID Archive Project
Special Collections at the Adams Library has created a digital repository to collect and preserve personal experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic and is soliciting contributions from the RIC community. Want to share your experiences? Consider a submission to the RIC COVID Archive.
Students, staff, faculty, and others are encouraged to share their own triumphs and challenges in a variety of formats. Submissions could be almost anything: a written description of National Guard service, a photograph of a barren supermarket, a video clip of an empty campus, or a diary of daily life over the past two months. For more information, and to make a submission, click here: https://library.ric.edu/specialcollections/RIC-covid-archive
This is what you can expect moving forward:
- Weekly Wednesday Updates on the latest progress in the development of the operational plan for FY2020
- Budget Update in the May 20 Weekly Wednesday Update
- Opportunities for you to get involved with recruitment and retention of our students
- Strategies for promoting the college’s key messages throughout the community
We Will Move Forward – Together.
As the virus and the response continue to evolve, please make sure to check our website for any updates or send us an email if you have any questions: stayinformed@ric.edu.
As I have said often throughout this crisis, I am inspired by the work that each of you are doing every day. I want to especially express my gratitude to our staff who continue to work on campus while so many of us are working remotely. Our teams in housekeeping, facilities, public safety, welcome center and others across campus have continued to keep the campus operational even as they face the same concerns that all of us have about keeping ourselves and our families safe and secure.
Because of each of you, we are a stronger community and we will move forward together.
Yours in education,
Frank D. Sánchez
President
