Campus plans for 2020-21

[HofstraPride1]

Rabinowitz sent this letter today outlining plans to try and have in-person classes this fall working in concert with Northwell Health. Hopefully things can work out and campus can be open in some form this fall even if it means many restrictions.

A Message from the President:

Dear Hofstra Students and Families,

As we come to the end of the spring semester, having faced the extraordinary challenges this pandemic and its effects brought to us, I am proud of the way our faculty, students and staff have risen to this unprecedented challenge.

You have all dealt with an extraordinary period in history, in a way the Hofstra family may be proud. Even when the situation has not been ideal, you have helped one another and others, outside our community, deal with the situation we are facing with grace and empathy. One of the most difficult things about what we've faced is the lack of certainty, the constantly changing deadlines and guidelines, for closing and for reopening, issued by the state and federal governments.
But what we can now do is plan, with equal measures of pragmatism and optimism, for a fall semester on campus. We will work very hard this summer to ensure we have left no stone unturned in trying to bring our community back together, in person, and our planning is well underway. We are very fortunate, and in a better position than many of our peers, because of our strong partnership with Northwell Health, which provides us with unparalleled expertise in public health and prevention planning; and with local, county and state governments, all of with whom Hofstra is working on different pandemic response projects.

No matter what the next few months might bring, we know that the fall semester will be significantly different than semesters past have been. Our team is already hard at work, considering public health, social distancing, and other operational protocols. I have appointed a Task Force on Reopening, which brings together academics, facilities, information technology, enrollment, public health and legal issues. Reporting to that Task Force are several subcommittees on issues like academics, facilities, public health, and student life.

These groups are considering everything from classroom and residence hall capacity, availability and distribution of PPE, safe instruction methods, testing and tracing protocols, self-isolation availabilities, human resources, public health campaigns and education, dining protocols, event and public space management, and guest and visitor policies. The group is delving into details such as how will we establish social distancing protocols, or can we make some of our academic or enrollment procedures, with their multiple approvals, paperless? How will academic and career advisors meld best practices in advising students with social distancing protocol? How can SHACC best continue to keep students well and healthy, both in the center and through technology? How can OSLE best assist SGA, clubs, and organizations stay active and productive when coming together for meetings and events requires a new type of thinking and new protocols? How can faculty manage a classroom in person while allowing some students to access the class remotely?

The list of issues and questions, while in no way comprehensive, is the first step in reimagining what campus may look like, and it grows as our Task Force continues to explore all the ramifications of a campus re-opening.

Our optimism for a fall semester does not preclude planning for all public health scenarios. Every single action we take is and will continue to be in alignment with public health and safety protocols. And while New York State continues to create detailed and comprehensive guidelines for reopening for all sectors of the economy, we have begun the work of reimagining a campus that keeps our entire community as safe as possible. There are many models to follow and colleagues around the globe sharing best practices. Many organizations and educational associations have already published models of safe practices for campus reopening, and as Long Island will lag upstate New York, we will be able to learn from the experiences of peer institutions as well. We are carefully studying the experiences of all organizations and businesses that reopen, and learning from best practices not just here but around the world.

It will not be easy. It will require an adjustment from us all, in how we interact, in how we teach and learn, and how we take care of each other. But we have heard from you, our students and families, that you value interacting with our faculty and staff, collaborating with your peers, and experiencing the metro New York area; indeed, what makes Hofstra special is the community you create. And we will go to every length, follow every guideline and best practice, to ensure we can be together again in a few months.

We balance this with our dual priorities: the health and safety of the entire campus community, and a quality education in an environment that encourages, nurtures, and supports learning through the free and open exchange of ideas, for the betterment of humankind. Balancing all of this will require the efforts and dedication of our entire community. I have seen the Hofstra community in action for many years and am confident that we will work in our collective best interests.

We wish we were together on campus this week as you complete your exams, papers, and projects for the semester. Know that we wish you well now and as the summer begins. I look forward to seeing you in the fall.

Sincerely,

Stuart Rabinowitz
President

[ProudofPride]

There's now an official reopening plan. https://www.hofstra.edu/safe-start/index.html

[fiftiespride]

I am proud of how Hofstra has responded to the extraordinary challenges of Covid 19. The planning is impressive. I wish I could say the same about our government.

[HofstraPride1]

I am proud of how Hofstra has responded to the extraordinary challenges of Covid 19. The planning is impressive. I wish I could say the same about our government.

Completely agree. It is also comforting to know we have Northwell as a partner for this effort.

[Wags]

Not only this, but there were several Hofstra athletes, former Hofstra athletes and others in the HU community who were involved early on in this pandemic with some great causes to help out. So a lot to be proud of with HU all the way around during these difficult times.

[HofstraPride1]

https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/behind- ... GGOqnLvgCQ

Interesting video detailing Hofstra's plans to hold in-person classes and keep students safe.

[triplec2195]

https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/behind- ... GGOqnLvgCQ

Interesting video detailing Hofstra's plans to hold in-person classes and keep students safe.

Really dealing with the problem rather then just giving it lip service and posting signs like so many stores that have reopened. Kudos to HU.

[Polito]

Love it - gotta get schools back open, it's vital for many reasons.

We (wife and I) want our kids back - safely of course, and with every measure possible, we're fully onboard with whatever protocol established - we'll do whatever it takes, whatever is warranted by our health and education leaders - but make no mistake, they need to go back this fall. And my slightly educated bet is that's the majority feeling across the country.

[ProudofPride]

https://patch.com/new-york/southampton/ ... outhampton

I'm glad Hofstra responded to this article. It cites endowment as a factor, our endowment completely blows the other 2 schools listed out of the water.

[HofstraPride1]

https://patch.com/new-york/southampton/ ... outhampton

I'm glad Hofstra responded to this article. It cites endowment as a factor, our endowment completely blows the other 2 schools listed out of the water.

This "analysis" by the NYU marketing professor was a complete joke and Patch should not have given report any light of day. It also had Brandeis University on the "perish" list. Clearly there are enormous challenges in higher education now for schools like Hofstra, but we aren't going anywhere.

[stuball888]

With an endowment near 700 million Hofstra is not in any trouble Remember this is an opinion piece Dont blame the Patch have you ever seen the online news services Most if their stories are opinion pieces

[HofstraPride1]

https://www.newsday.com/long-island/edu ... 1.48145482

This above Newsday article outlines financial state of Long Island colleges for fall semester. Hofstra capped dorms at 2,300 from typical 3,000 capacity which Provost Herman Berliner said is about a $10 million revenue hit. Not ideal to say the least, but I think Hofstra has resources to weather the storm, especially with federal aid they are receiving for COVID-19-related expenses.

[Polito]

HU isn't going under, not anytime soon. Have plenty of $. COVID has hit the entire country hard, so there are definitely losses and storms to weather, but I have zero concern about HU, thankfully.

Definitely not onboard the 'let them all rot' mentality I see in the comments and other places, BUT I will say it's about damn time college education landscape got smacked. It is outlandish, and should be illegal, to charge anyone 50-80k per year for ANY degree. Degree cost should be based on the average salary of the field. No reasons for these mortgage sized loans just to be a student and get a decent education in this country.

And I'm a capitalist, all for making money, it's a business, but let's do so with some decency please. Can still get wealthy and maintain integrity. It's sickening what they've gotten away with the last 20 years.

So I do agree universities need a wake up call - nowadays, ya really don't have to go, save for a few specific professions - most of the uber successful people didn't or never graduated. And w/COVID, the questioning has gotten even louder, and it's valid.

And the professions of old ain't the way they used to be. Law and Engineering are very deceiving, riding on the old perception they make loads of cash, when in reality the large majority are average income earners at best. Even doctors have taken huge hits in profitability over the years thanks to insurance.

The US education system needs an overall, and to get it's priorities back in line with what's appropriate. The money grab has gotten WAY out of control, and frankly, although I believe in education, they deserve every bit of this struggle for absolutely crushing young people and their entire families for literally decades after they finish.

[EvanJ]

Degree cost should be based on the average salary of the field. No reasons for these mortgage sized loans just to be a student and get a decent education in this country.

There are reasons why that isn't feasible:

1. For majors that lead to lower paying careers (hereafter LTLPC), if the majors get less revenue they could cut classes or other expenses and hurt the students majoring in them.

2. The American Association of University Professors (AAUP) could object. Even if the professors teaching in majors that LTLPC were paid the same amount, they could still feel insulted that what they teach is declared less important.

3. There are English 1 and 2 required of everybody, distribution courses, and courses mostly taken by majors and minors. Students can have two-thirds or more of their classes not in their major. Billing at different rates for different classes would be confusing, lead to clerical errors, and make tuition fluctuate by semester for the same student with the same major.

4. One time I registered in the spring and changed a little during the summer. I remained in the full time 12 to 17 credit range, so my change didn't change my tuition, but it would have changed my tuition if different classes charged different amounts.

5. Students can get jobs unrelated to their major. The average salary by workers who majored in X includes people who aren't using X in their career. Some majors can lead to high salaries but with a bigger risk of not being able to get a job in the field and being underemployed.

6. Some schools have more majors than others, and the same major at different schools is not exactly the same. Some colleges have a major in Statistics. With less common majors, they would need to be grouped with Mathematics or they could have a small sample size to evaluate average salary.

7. Other than major(s), students can prove knowledge with graduate degrees, online courses, work experience that doesn't require a specific major, research, and maybe other things. All students who graduate with the same GPA in the same major don't have the same knowledge and interest within the field.

8. If colleges know what classes give more revenue per student, advisors could be told to steer students to those classes rather than doing what they think is best for the student.

9. The amount of jobs and the salary in fields change over time. The best major for new graduates now may not be a great career choice if you knew the average salary for every career for the next 40 or 50 years.

10. Students who are paying more for majors in higher paying careers could brag, not treat other students nicely, or think that they will make a lot of money because they have that major even if they don't work hard.

11. Having a class required for a major that a student can't pass and/or hates and makes the student change his or her major happens. Changing majors as a junior, and maybe as a sophomore, can lead to needing more than the minimum amount of credits to complete the new major, which means more semesters and more tuition. Changing to a major that LTLPC saves money, but it can make students feel like they failed at their original major that pays more, and feeling like a failure combined with needing more credits after changing majors is a bad combination.

12. Students should think about what career they want, but they should want to like their career. Charging more for majors pay more can make struggling students stay in the major and get lower grades because they want the high salary from that career, but if they worked in that field, they would discover they hated it and that they should have changed majors. Students shouldn't be encouraged to take classes they hate because of how much they pay.

Having tuition decided by career salary could be feasible in majors and graduate degrees that lead to licensing exams such as the School of Law, teachers, and CPAs.