Dear colleagues,
As we approach Thanksgiving, I want to wish you a joyous holiday season with your family and friends. This is one of my favorite times of year, a time to rest and recharge with those I love. I hope you will have the opportunity to do the same.
I wanted to provide you with an update on our plans for the current semester and our upcoming spring semester. You are likely noticing the rise in COVID-19 cases in South Florida. While we were hopeful that the pandemic situation would continue to improve through the fall, it has ended up not being the case. The upward trend in COVID-19 cases is a concern.
In response to this, President Montoya and I have made a decision to remain in Phase 2 of our Pandemic Outbreak Recovery Plan through the rest of the fall semester until the end of the spring 2021 term. As has been the case since the beginning of our COVID-19 emergency response strategy, we have taken cues from state and local authorities. The decision to remain in phase 2 for the duration of the spring semester will allow for the same flexibilities and procedural contingencies that have been in place this fall. For example, those faculty who have been approved by Human Resources to remain remote will continue to be approved through the end of the spring. Any new Faculty requests for remote teaching should be addressed to OEOPCOVID@mdc.edu no later than Wednesday, December 9, 2020.
It will be important for you to keep an eye on your class assignments because the instruction modes will be changing based on the decision to remain in Phase 2. The faculty approved for remote work will have their classes reclassified as Remote Learning. In Person and Web-Enhanced classes will be reviewed and may be designated as Blended. Your department chairperson will be in contact with additional details after the Thanksgiving break.
I wanted to share this decision immediately to allow time for you to plan for your classes. Your ability to pivot and respond has been phenomenal throughout this global crisis and, again, I want to thank you for your sustained commitment to teaching excellence and student success. As we reflect on 2020, I hope all of us will acknowledge and celebrate our individual and collective resiliency as we worked to give our students what they needed to be successful.
I will be in touch before the end of the fall semester with additional information.
Please stay safe and healthy this holiday season!
Lenore P. Rodicio, Ph.D.
Executive Vice President and Provost
Miami Dade College
300 NE 2nd Ave. | Miami, Florida 33132
E: lenorerodicio@mdc.edu