July 14, 2020 

 

Dear Graduate Students,

I hope that you and your families are healthy and well and that you are finding peace during this summer of pandemic fears, work for racial justice, and immigration uncertainties. With health and safety as our top priority, we are working hard to plan for the coming academic year while abiding by Santa Clara County and California state public health guidelines.   

On June 25, we announced Prepared SCU: Plan for Fall 2020, confirming the fall 2020 plan for our undergraduate and graduate programs. As we said at the time, it has long been our plan to resume in-person instruction in phases as soon as it is safe to do so. Since that announcement, circumstances have forced us to adjust our planning, specifically to protect our international students, who make up approximately one third of our graduate population. 

Therefore, I write today with an update on our fall 2020 graduate instructional plan: Our graduate programs will incorporate a hybrid model of instruction. This revision applies to all graduate and professional schools at SCU including:  

• Leavey School of Business
• School of Education and Counseling Psychology 
• School of Engineering
• School of Law 
• Jesuit School of Theology  

Courses will be delivered across a range of modalities including in-person, remote, and modified face-to-face instruction. 

This revision is in direct response to the U.S. government change on July 6 that requires international students to take at least one course in-person. Students who wish to take all courses remotely, and who are not subject to immigration requirements, may still do so.    

In the coming weeks, all graduate students will receive updated course information from their respective dean’s offices. Students may also visit the Global Engagement COVID-19 FAQs for additional guidance. We know this whole situation may feel disruptive, and we are working swiftly to solidify details following last week’s announcement.   

International students are an important part of our globally diverse community, and it is important for us to support their continued study at SCU and in the U.S. Our dedicated faculty are concerned for our international students and will continue to adapt and innovate course content and instruction in order to continue providing you with a transformative Jesuit education.  

 

Wishing you and your loved ones health, safety, peace,                                                                                                              

Lisa A. Kloppenberg                                                                                                         Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs