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<span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Dear A&M-Commerce faculty and staff:<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">As we work to wrap up the Spring 2020 term, I want you to know how much we appreciate the creativity, empathy, and flexibility you have shown. The challenges faced by our students, faculty,
and staff this semester are unprecedented due to the pandemic and ensuing economic losses. Yet, in the face of such adversity, your efforts have kept our students on track, as evidenced by the graduation of 1,378 students this week. Congratulations! As much
as I would like to let you bask in that achievement, I find myself needing to call on your creativity once again.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">As you are aware, A&M-Commerce is planning to return to some face-to-face instruction for the Fall 2020 semester unless health evidence or directives dictate otherwise. We will do so with a
steadfast commitment to 1) the safety of our students, faculty, and staff, and 2) academic excellence. We have formed a committee that is currently working to provide appropriate guidelines for our reopening. But as Dr. Starnes mentioned in his letter to faculty,
we can’t wait to begin planning our courses for the Fall. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Fall 2020 will certainly not look like Fall 2019. I expect that we will still teach many courses online. Moreover, every course will need to be web-enhanced, as we must prepare for moving all
online once again if the circumstances dictate that course of action. We must also prepare for what some call HyFlex courses, that is, a portion of our students may be in class and another portion may be online in the same course section. This could be due
to space constraints as we effectively socially distance students in classrooms or because we have students that are vulnerable due to underlying health conditions. Some of our colleges have experience with this approach but it will be new to others.
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">We must also think through which courses should begin with face-to-face instruction. I would expect that more ‘hands on’ offerings (e.g., labs, performance, etc.) would have the greatest desire
to do so. Given that we will have limited classroom space due to social distancing, that may mean that subjects that are equally effective online might need to continue in that format. Also, rather than teaching a face-to-face course on Tuesday and Thursday,
it might be that one course gets the classroom on Tuesday and another course gets it on Thursday, as some activities move online. We are going to have to get out of our usual boxes and conceptualize courses with various new modes, timeframes, and assignments.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">This is where your creativity must come into play. The planning needed for us to pursue some face-to-face instruction in the Fall will have to initiate at the faculty and department level. Department
heads will work with faculty members to determine which faculty members should teach only online because of health concerns, which want to return to the physical classroom, etc. Being a department head in Fall 2020 will require a level of complexity previously
unseen. Deans and department heads will also have to work closely with faculty to make sure that our courses do not conflict with one another in our new normal. The course creativity needed for a successful Fall 2020 rests with our faculty and I expect that
many of you will not only find a way forward but will use the opportunity to improve your courses. Your performance this semester gives me confidence in that. I would ask that you begin your planning processes and stay in contact with your department heads
and deans more than ever in the coming weeks so that we can build out our offerings sooner rather than later.
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Thanks! Stay well and best regards,<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">John<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">John Humphreys
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<span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Texas A&M-Commerce<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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