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Christopher J. Cyphers, Ph.D., Provost
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All Faculty Brief | May 2021
Greetings:
I hope this edition of the All Faculty Brief finds you safe and healthy. Congratulations on completing another academic year. I know you all worked especially hard, and you have the thanks of the entire SVA community for educating our students under the most trying of circumstances.
I will spare you a recitation of the seemingly endless catalog of crises, hazards, stressors, and (for some) illness that came to define this past year. Suffice to say, the year just ended has left us exhausted, weary, and perhaps more than a little cynical about any number of things.
But, there are plenty of reasons to be grateful and hopeful for a better future. The COVID-19 vaccines (and their now widespread availability) will make it possible for our great city to begin returning to some semblance of normalcy, as early as this summer. This also makes reopening the College to in-person classes, full occupancy in the residence halls, and campus activities possible for the fall semester. Recently, the US State Department lifted the travel restrictions on students from China who already hold a student visa; this will benefit rising juniors and seniors.
Moreover, we learned today that the US Embassy in Beijing has reopened, and students are being given priority status for visa applications. It is hoped that consulates in other Chinese cities will likewise reopen. Thus, there is the good chance that first and second year students will obtain a visa in time for the start of the fall semester.
As was communicated in a recent email from President Rhodes, SVA is requiring all members of the SVA community who plan to be on campus this fall to receive the full course of a COVID vaccine. More information about this requirement, and the safety measures in place for a return to in-person instruction, can be found on the College’s reopening page at SVA.edu.
Our director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, Dr. Jarvis Watson, and the DEI Task Force, have conducted forums and diversity roundtable discussions about the verbal and physical attacks on members of the Asian/Pacific Islander community. Similar discussions have taken place among members of our BIPOC community, in the wake of Derek Chauvin’s conviction for the muder of George Floyd, and several recent, high-profile police shootings of unarmed Black and Brown men and boys.
Please take some time to read on about updates provided by the Offices of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion; Learning Technologies, and the Library.
Allow me to conclude by reminding you to please complete the brief faculty survey that was sent to you a couple of weeks ago. Your responses help us plan a program of faculty professional development based on your particular needs. Please be assured that this survey is completely anonymous. We don’t collect IP addresses or other identifying information.
I wish you all a wonderful summer, and I hope you have an opportunity to take a bit of a holiday that the vaccines now make possible. I will continue to update you on our plans for the fall semester.
Warm regards,
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Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Trainings and Resourses
In response to continued police violence against black communities, Hollaback! is offering this free one-hour training to learn how to safely intervene in the face of police violence and anti-black racism
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Dr. Jarvis Watson, Director, DEI at SVA provides this downloadable PowerPoint presentation on how best to create an inclusive learning, living and working environment for students and each other, including links to additional resources.
Please contact Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at diversity@sva.edu with any questions.
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Resources for Faculty, Staff, and Students
Faculty and staff who are seeking support or in distress are encouraged to take advantage of the mental health benefits that are a part of SVA’s two health insurance plans. If you are a faculty or staff member and are enrolled in the SVA-sponsored health insurance plan offered through Cigna, you can find mental health resources by visiting your myCigna member page, selecting Coverage, and choosing Employee Assistance Program (EAP). You can also call the EAP at 1.800.274.7603.
Other resources for students, faculty and staff:
For people living in New York City, NYC WELL provides free mental health support in English, Mandarin, and Spanish and has access for translators in about 200 languages. Call 1.888.NYC.WELL (1.888.692.9355), text WELL to 65173 or chat here.
The Samaritans organization operates a confidential hotline when you need someone to talk to. Call 1.212.673.3000.
Crisis Text Line offers free, around-the-clock support. Text HOME to 741741.
Information about crisis hotlines around the world can be seen here.
SVA is committed to providing a learning, working and living environment free from discrimination and harassment. Any incidents of bias, discrimination or harassment within the SVA community should be reported via this form. or by contacting Laurel Christy, Title IX Coordinator, lchristy@sva.edu.
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Announcements and Support from Office of Learning Technology
Summer 2021 Courses and New Syllabus Tool In Canvas
Summer courses went live in Canvas on April 9th and included a course template to guide the organization of course content and a new syllabus tool. If you prefer to copy a course from a past semester into summer 2021, please remember to first clear the course template. This can be done by clicking on course Settings and then Reset Course Content. Then, you will have an empty Canvas course and can follow these three steps to copy course content from another course.
The new syllabus tool in Canvas, hosted by SimpleSyllabus, will provide an improved experience for all SVA users. Summer faculty have received emails to assist them through this transition. Fall 2021 faculty will receive detailed information about SimpleSyllabus and training which will be provided for faculty and academic department staff over the summer.
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Summer 2021 Faculty Workshops and Discussion Groups
Throughout the summer, OLT will host new workshops and faculty discussion sessions in Gather, a new immersive platform. Similar to Zoom, Gather lets you video-conference, chat, and share your screen with other participants. However, instead of seeing all participants on a grid of video boxes, you are able to move around freely in a game-like environment and speak with either groups or individuals at will.
Faculty professional development activities for summer 2021 address two major goals: First, they will look beyond the emergency remote teacher training that characterized much of OLT's 2020 workshops. They will focus on working with faculty who want to enhance their course videos, course design, and incorporate more active learning principles into both in-person and online aspects of their teaching practice. OLT will also partner with the College's new Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion to incorporate new lenses through which to assess course design, activities, and media choices. Second, the workshops will incorporate more faculty-led demonstrations and discussions. Gather will be used as an immersive laboratory of sorts for faculty to voice the teaching challenges they face and collaborate on finding solutions. In early May, dates and details on Summer 2021 faculty workshops and discussion groups will be announced in the Faculty Knowledge Base in Canvas and posted on OLT's Eventbrite page. OLT Office Hours: Ongoing Faculty Support
OLT will continue offering online office hours at the following times throughout summer 2021. You can also email olt@sva.edu.
OLT Office Hours in Gather (Links to an external site and you will need to use your SVA email address to join this Gather space.)
Monday through Friday
10:00 AM to 12:00 PM 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM
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SVA Library Resources and Services | How to Find Your Department's Library RepresentativeThe SVA Library has recently added many new resources and services, including more streaming and digital content and expanded options for information literacy and library instruction, and we are eager for instructors and students to take full advantage of them. To help keep faculty informed, we would love to send a librarian to your department faculty meeting, where they can focus on content that is specifically tailored to your department's information needs. Please let us know if you can include us! Find your department's Library Representative here, or just email Rebecca Clark at rclark4@sva.edu for more information.
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Milton Glaser Design Study Center and Archives | SVA Archives
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Poster by George Tscherny for the Long Island State Park Commission, 1994. From the George Tscherny Collection in the Milton Glaser Design Study Center and Archives.
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