“OnCampus Plus” Plan Focuses on Faculty, Staff and Students to Ensure the Most Effective Teaching, Working and Learning Experiences
Dobbs Ferry, New York – June 25, 2020 – Mercy College announced today key guidelines for its OnCampus Plus reopening plan for the fall 2020 term and is confident that it can meet guidelines recently released from New York State and public health officials to begin courses on September 9.
“At Mercy, we have placed our faculty, staff and students at the center of our OnCampus Plus reopening plan,” said Timothy Hall, President of Mercy College. “This approach ensures that all current and future decisions provide for the most effective teaching, working and learning experiences.”
The OnCampus Plus reopening plan incorporates health and safety measures and adheres to evolving state guidelines. These guidelines are based on the comprehensive evaluation and subsequent recommendations made by Mercy’s reopening taskforce. A comprehensive overview of the OnCampus Plus plan can be found on this dedicated webpage.
Key features of Mercy’s OnCampus Plus plan include:
Safety and Monitoring: Enhanced cleaning and hygiene protocols will continue to be implemented on campuses, signage and other communications will guide and direct safe practices and on-campus safety protocols will be implemented including required face coverings and daily self-screening questionnaires.
Academics and Academic Technology: Reduced classroom capacity will allow for social distancing; some classes may operate in a rotation between in-person and online attendance, investments in new on-campus technology will ensure maximum flexibility for teaching and learning. Many classes that will operate on campus and be livestreamed to allow students to log-in to classes from home if they prefer to do so. In these cases, students in the classroom and online will be together at their scheduled meeting time, with Zoom-based live lectures and interactive classroom discussions.
Return to Work: Initial staff will return in mid-July to implement safety and operational measures to ensure that the fall term will be as seamless as possible and the return of additional faculty and staff will be gradual and occur in phases.
The College will continue to follow New York State guidelines and may need to shift plans based on state and public heath mandates. Additional developments and decisions will be communicated in the coming weeks.
About Mercy College
Mercy College is the dynamic, diverse New York City area college whose students are on a personal mission: to get the most out of life by getting the most out of their education. Founded in 1950, Mercy offers more than 90 undergraduate and graduate degree and certificate programs within five schools: Business, Education, Health and Natural Sciences, Liberal Arts and Social and Behavioral Sciences. Mercy College challenges its faculty and staff to make higher education work for anyone hungry enough to earn a better place in life. With campuses in Dobbs Ferry, Bronx, Manhattan and Yorktown Heights, the vibrancy of the College culture is sustained by a diverse student body from around the region.