End of Semester Updates
December 9, 2020
Dear RIC Faculty and Staff,
I want to thank you for everything that you have done to help us maintain the health and safety of the campus community throughout the semester. While the pandemic continues, and the prospects of a vaccine are seemingly around the corner, we must remain vigilant. Please remember the three “W’s”:
wear your mask,
wash your hands and
watch your distance.
Here are a few updates as we wind down the semester:
Rhode Island General Assembly
We are pleased to announce that the Rhode Island State Senate in partnership with the R.I. Department of Administration have selected Rhode Island College to host the state senate for the upcoming 2021 legislative session. We welcome the opportunity to showcase the incredible value our college offers Rhode Islanders and to serve as the backdrop for policy makers who will, in part, decide the future of our state.
Many thanks to RIC Foundation Executive Director, Ed Pacheco, for his leadership along with our teams working in facilities and conferences and events for making this possible.
Working Remotely
In light of increasing COVID-19 infection rates across the state and out of an abundance of caution, I want to strongly encourage members of our community who can work remotely to do so.
Please contact Human Resources or talk your supervisor if you have any questions. As always, I want to thank those members of our community who continue to work on campus and keep our operations going.
Adams Library
Effective Monday, December 14, the Adams Library level 1A (group study area) and level 1B will be closed to the RIC community. Please request library materials via the library’s catalog at the Borrowing Services or Reference desks.
Effective Monday, December 28, 2020 – Thursday, January 14, 2021 the Adams Library will be providing front lobby pickup (quad side) of technology and library materials. Advance reservations and requests are required. Please see library website for latest hours and reservation information.
Henry Barnard School
Henry Barnard School will be transitioning to remote learning today and will remain virtual through winter break.
Winter Break and Winter Term
During the winter term, the majority of courses will be offered remotely and again, faculty and staff with current teleworking agreements will continue with remote working. At the conclusion of this semester, the college will provide residential housing only for those students who, for extraordinary reasons, are unable to return home.
Spring Term
While we had hoped to be able to offer more in-person and hybrid options, as we have for fall, such options will be limited. All courses taught in-person must have safety protocols approved in advance and will be limited to certain buildings, classrooms and times to ensure we maintain rigorous cleaning protocols. Practica, clinical placements, and student teaching will continue based on site placement expectations and opportunities.
Please refer to the
academic calendar as adjustments have been made to spring break.
The college will also continue with a low-residency housing program during the spring semester.
School of Nursing
Please join the School of Nursing on Thursday, December 17 at 5 p.m. for a celebration of “50 Years of Shining Success.” This golden anniversary milestone will be held virtually and
registration is now open.
Website Updates
Effective Friday, December 18, the Office of Web Communications will pause processing web content edit requests and requests for new web pages in order to focus on the launch of the college’s new website, slated for the spring. Mission-critical requests will continue to be implemented.
The new website is focused on the needs of our external audiences, namely prospective students and their families, and will be visually appealing with a new a design, as well as expanded use of photography and videography. The new design will be more versatile and the navigation will enable visitors to find the information they seek more easily. Lastly, the website will be responsive and accessible so that all audiences are able to have access to the information they need.
Let me personally thank Kim Dumpson and the entire College Advancement and Web Communications teams as this is a major undertaking for the college. We appreciate everyone’s patience and support during this time and apologize for any inconvenience this may cause. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Karen Rubino at
krubino@ric.edu.
Thank you!
As I have said before, I am deeply grateful for all that you have done, are doing and will do to support the college and each other during these challenging times.
Together we are #AnchorStrong!
Yours in education,
Frank D. Sánchez
President
