August 12, 2021
Dear Faculty Colleagues,
Let us begin by saying how much we have enjoyed working with such a talented group of instructors. In March 2020, you packed up your computers, social distanced, and pivoted on a dime from teaching in-person to teaching fully remotely. Then, in the fall, you taught in a blended instructional modality that was new to all of NYU. You did this for your students and for SPS. As President Hamilton and Provost Fleming stated one year ago:
“Faculty are the heart and soul of NYU, and its academic success rests on your leadership and input, your commitment to our students, and your dedication to your scholarship.”
The School of Professional Studies took this message to heart and stood out during the past 18 months as an exemplar of teaching agility and innovation. You should all be proud of this accomplishment.
In a few short weeks we will be welcoming NYU students back to campus and back to our classrooms. Concurrently, we will be welcoming our faculty back. Some of you have been teaching in-person classes already, and for nearly a year. For others, this will be your (physical) return from the constraints of a global pandemic that has challenged us all at every turn.
Please know we are sensitive to these challenges and to the many ways in which a vaxxed and masked return feels anything but normal. As you have been hearing, ALL faculty, full-time as well as adjunct, in-person as well as fully online, must upload proof of vaccination. Please see the NYU Returns Page for requirements (e.g., daily screener, mandatory mask-wearing on-campus) and instructions to upload proof of vaccination. For those who are not yet vaccinated, there is mandatory testing before any campus facilities can be accessed, including classrooms. If you have questions about COVID-19 protocols and testing, please review the NYU COVID-19 Testing page or contact PeopleLink at askpeoplelink@nyu.edu.
Additionally, please note that NYU has a plethora of resources in place to assist all of us as we navigate uncertain terrain. We encourage all faculty to browse the NYU Work Life & Wellness site as it contains several new, COVID-related resources, including on-campus counseling options through the NYU Employee Assistance Program.
The other arena that we’d like to congratulate our faculty on is the “early adoption” of NYU’s new learning management system (LMS), Brightspace. Starting in the Spring 2021 term, SPS faculty across every Academic Division participated in the NYU Brightspace Early Adopter Program. Hundreds of you are already using NYU Brightspace to engage students, and your experiences on the LMS have been critical to creating resources and experiences to advance teaching and learning at NYU.
Your official Fall 2021 course site(s) have already been created in NYU Brightspace. You can access the site(s) on your Brightspace Homepage, You can learn how to build your course site in the SPS Guide to Creating Your Course in Brightspace. It contains step-by-step guides, FAQs, and upcoming Brightspace training sessions. Please note that you must be signed in to your NYU Google Account (http://email.nyu.edu/) to access the Guide.
You can also access recorded NYU Brightspace workshops and materials on the Guides and Workshops page.
Feel free to contact the CAES Services Team at caes.sps@nyu.edu if you have any questions about NYU Brightspace or require assistance preparing to teach. If you have questions about your course(s) or teaching assignment(s), please contact your Academic Program leadership.
We are looking forward to seeing you soon!
Karen & Hui Soo
Karen C. Krahulik, PhD
Associate Dean of Academic and Faculty Affairs
Clinical Professor
Hui Soo Chae, EdD
Executive Director, Center for Academic Excellence and Support