From: President
Sent: Sunday, April 5, 2020 5:52 PM
Subject: University/College Update

Dear College Community, 

I hope this email meets you in good health and spirits. By now you should have all received an email with the Subject Line: Commencement and Summer Session Updates from Chancellor Matos Rodriguez.  I wanted to take this opportunity to recap this information within the context of KCC. 

COMMENCEMENT

Regretfully, given the current and unknown future circumstances, commencement ceremonies across the University-system will be postponed. However, we will confer degrees as scheduled on June 16.  We are in the process of discussing ways in which we can memorialize this occasion as well as celebrate related ceremonies.  I plan to send a separate communication to students about the postponement of commencement.  We hope to identify a future date when we can celebrate our students in-person.  Please note the official summer start date for Kingsborough’s full-time faculty remains as June 17.  

SUMMER SESSION

CUNY’s Summer 2020 course offerings will be exclusively conducted via distance education format. The decision is consistent with New York State Education Department (NYSED) guidance from April 2, 2020, which waives the requirement that specific courses and programs be registered for delivery via distance education. For staff, current guidance regarding remote work will remain in effect consistent with the New York State on PAUSE executive order. 

FALL SEMESTER

Direction regarding the format of course offerings for Fall 2020 will be provided in the future depending on the COVID-19 emergency time frame, and once consultation with academic leaders and faculty has occurred and direction from NYSED and other accrediting bodies has been received. 

LAPTOP/TABLET LOANS

With support from the Governor, the University purchased 30,000 new laptops and tablets for students who need one to fully participate in distance learning. Early last week, communication was sent to KCC students regarding the Laptop Loan Program.  As a result, 204 students reserved devices.  Distribution began on Wednesday, and by Friday, 160 students had picked up devices.  This week, distribution will occur on Monday, April 6 and Tuesday, April 7 from 9-5.  If you know of any student who might be in need, please have them register at https://inside.kingsborough.edu/ . Should they encounter any problems they should reach out to Asif.Hussain@kbcc.cuny.edu or Brian.Mitra@kbcc.cuny.edu.

Special thank you to the IT staff that coordinated and assisted in the distribution.  Consistent with the advisement to all employees who are engaged in essential functions on campus, IT and Public Safety staff are employing social distancing and are wearing the required Personal Protective Equipment.

CREDIT/ NOCREDIT GRADING OPTION POLICY- Spring 2020 (Approved by the CUNY Board of Trustees -March 30, 2020/Effective April 1, 2020. Note: The University Provost has discretion to extend this policy to future terms if indicated)

• Students  have the option to convert any or all of the (A-F) letter grades they earn in their classes, during the spring 2020, to Credit/No Credit grading. 
• Passing letter grades will convert to ‘CR’ with credit for the class being awarded, while failing grades will convert to ‘NC’, with no credit awarded. 
• Credit/No Credit grades will not impact the student’s GPA.
• Students with Credit/No Credit grades will be able to transfer those courses across colleges within CUNY, per current policy.
• The grade glossary, attached to each transcript, will be updated to include a notation denoting that Spring 2020 grades, including CR or NC, were earned during a major disruption to instruction as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
• This policy will override all program-level grading policies currently in effect at CUNY institutions, including those related to courses within the major, pre-requisite courses, honors courses and maximum number of credits that a student can earn with Credit/No Credit grades.

Important

• Before choosing the Credit/ No Credit grading option for one or more of their classes, it is strongly recommended that students consult with their Academy/ASAP advisors and advisors in the Office of Financial Aid regarding potential impact to their financial aid, licensure requirements, and graduate school admissions.
• Students will be able to make a decision to  convert to Credit/ No Credit up to 20 business days after the University’s final grade submission deadline or the date of actual grade posting, whichever is later. After Spring Break, the KCC Registrar will send a separate communication with critical dates to the college community. 

STUDENT ACTIVITY FEES 

The University will waive 50% of the fee for students enrolled on a 12-week or six-week calendar. The portion of the fee which supports the activities of the University Student Senate will not be waived. Any student receiving compensation from their local student government will continue to receive full payment for the remainder of the semester. 

As you can imagine, a great deal of time and work has been invested in reviewing/ developing/ amending policies to support students as best as we can. You can access more information about the University efforts to maintain academic continuity at https://www.cuny.edu/cuny-continuity/cuny-continuity-for-students/#grade-policy. Please know, as information becomes available, I will share it with the college community.  In the interim, if you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to me or any member of the Senior Staff. 

As always, thank you for all that you are doing to ensure academic continuity for our students.  

President Schrader