Coronavirus

Dear students, faculty, and staff,

I hope this message finds you in good health. To continue protecting the health and safety of our community while transitioning to more normal academic operations and campus life, the University will require all faculty, students, and staff returning to our campuses in the fall to be immunized against COVID-19 unless they claim an exemption under law or applicable policies.

This requirement strengthens the University’s ability to protect the health and safety of our campuses and neighboring communities. COVID-19 vaccination for Oregon Tech community members will contribute to greater immunity, reduce the risk of sudden clusters of outbreaks on our campuses, and help protect members of our communities who are at the highest risk of developing complications from the virus.

This requirement is in line with many public and private universities and colleges in Oregon that are requiring students, faculty, and staff to be vaccinated as a condition of returning to campus in the fall. Additional information regarding incentives to encourage vaccinations, the process of providing vaccination information or exemption requests will be forthcoming.

Since early April 2020, Oregon Tech has utilized a combination of in-person and remote teaching methods. Hybrid delivery will continue through the summer term, with a combination of remote and in-person courses, and on-campus laboratory experiences, with appropriate physical distancing and other safety measures in place.

Resumption of in-person teaching in September will be guided by Governor Brown’s staging plan for the state to reopen higher education institutions across Oregon as well as vaccine access and guidance received from state health, education, and other officials. Oregon Tech will continue to monitor trends in the number of cases and take measures to address the safety of students, faculty, and staff. Additionally, Oregon Tech Online will continue to offer a variety of courses and degree options through virtual delivery. Programs at Chemeketa and Boeing sites will follow the state and host-campus guidelines.

Thank you in advance for your understanding and cooperation as we work toward a successful return to campus in the fall.

Sincerely,

Nagi G. Naganathan, Ph.D., ASME Fellow
President

Dear students, faculty, and staff,

As we near the one-year mark since the COVID-19 pandemic began to change our way of life, you have much to be proud of, especially the collective resiliency and determination you have demonstrated to provide and partake in instructional and support services – in-person, hybrid, and online.

While we will finish off the 2020-21 academic year with our summer term continuing the hybrid learning model, I am pleased to share that Oregon Tech looks forward to opening campus to all activities and classes for the fall start date of September 29, 2021. We will continue to monitor guidance from state and local health and government officials, remain ready to adapt, and begin planning to return to in-person operations in the fall.

Classes designed for in-person delivery will return to face-to-face on our campuses this fall while Oregon Tech Online will continue to offer online courses and degree options. Faculty and staff will also resume their on-campus roles this fall, and at this time, employees are encouraged to continue working with their supervisors and department chairs to determine on-campus expectations prior to fall term. Programs at Chemeketa and Boeing will be governed by the respective site and host-campus guidelines.

Classes will be scheduled to meet current physical distancing needs. However, depending on state and federal guidance these may be modified along with other safety precautions. As the fall term approaches, we will provide updates.

On-campus interaction and activities create such a vibrant community, and I look forward to us being together on our campuses once again. Thank you again for all of your efforts and contributions to our campus community, and for your continued commitment to Oregon Tech.

Sincerely,

Nagi G. Naganathan, Ph.D., ASME Fellow
President

Dear students, faculty, and staff,

I am sending this correspondence to share commencement plans as they currently stand, given the current circumstances. Regretfully, we will not be able to host in-person commencement ceremonies in June 2021. Instead, we will be hosting virtual commencement ceremonies as we did last year.

Please know that this is not a decision that we made easily or take lightly. We looked at the many factors involved, focusing on the health and safety of our students, their families, and others who will participate in the ceremonies including our alumni, university employees, and community members. State and local health officials have indicated that the COVID-19 vaccine will not be widely available by June, and as we all know, commencement brings friends and family members from all over Oregon and beyond. Given that state and local health guidelines are continually changing, we also cannot assume that large in-person gatherings will be permitted in June. We believe it is important to make this announcement now before our graduates’ families and friends begin to make travel and lodging arrangements.

Graduates will receive detailed information in the coming months about the virtual ceremonies, scheduled for June 12, 2021. Again this year we will have two ceremonies - one for the college of ETM graduates and another for the college of HAS graduates, and graduates from all campuses and sites will be invited to participate. We will recognize Fall ‘20, Winter ‘21, Spring ‘21, and Summer ‘21 graduates along with those Summer ‘20 graduates who did not participate in the June 2020 ceremonies.

Please visit the commencement webpage for guidance and updates, and continue to watch for communications sent from various offices. Oregon Tech’s Coronavirus website also remains a great resource for information and it provides mechanisms for submitting questions.

Now to our graduates -- the decision to forgo in-person ceremonies is a great disappointment to all of us, and especially to you and to your families and friends. Please do not let the format of the commencement or the current circumstances diminish your sense of accomplishment. Quite the contrary—to complete your education during times such as these is an amazing feat. We are all very proud of you and your achievements. Go Owls!

Sincerely,

Nagi G. Naganathan, Ph.D., ASME Fellow
President

Dear Oregon Tech students, faculty, and staff,

We are currently ending the second week of winter term and next week, I look forward to welcoming you back to the courses and labs offered on-campus. Seeing the activity on campus, although still limited due to COVID-19, creates a welcoming environment and excitement, even if we are just waving hello to one another. Next week will also see the continuation of in-person services such as healthcare availability (mental and physical) and Student Involvement & Belonging activities.

At this time, I want to share spring term course delivery plans as they currently stand: Spring term 2021 will proceed in the same format for each campus as fall 2020 and winter 2021, but please understand, our plans for spring term remain subject to change, as the circumstances may require. Please also note that there will NOT be a two-week remote instruction as we did this winter term. Classes will be offered per course plans below starting the first day of the spring term.

SPRING 2021 TERM START DATE

The spring term starts Monday, March 29, 2021 for all campuses.

CURRENT SPRING 2021 CAMPUS-SPECIFIC COURSE PLANS

Portland-Metro: Lectures will be taught through remote (primarily synchronous) delivery and labs will be offered in-person.

• We will continue to monitor conditions and if necessary, all labs, except for allied health programs, will be moved to remote. If conditions or guidance from the Oregon Health Authority, the Governor’s Office, or county health direct, as the last option, we will offer all courses and labs in remote format.

Klamath Falls: 100 and 200 level lectures and all labs will be offered in-person with few exceptions, while 300 and 400 level lectures will be remote (primarily synchronous). All upper-division courses taught in-person will also be recorded for remote delivery.

• If conditions change, we will progressively reduce the in-person teaching, first to only labs and then to only allied health labs.

Chemeketa: Chemeketa site facilities will be accessible as determined by the administration of Chemeketa Community College. As it stands currently, lecture classes will be taught through remote delivery. Lab courses are planned to be in-person, conditions and the community college administration permitting.

Seattle: The Seattle campus is currently conducting a mixed-model mostly remote/hybrid with very few classes in-person for lab purposes only, and will continue this model unless there is different guidance from the state of Washington.

To help plan your spring term class schedules, courses to be taught remotely will be identified on the class schedule posted on the Registrar’s website with the notation “REMOTE.”

FUTURE UPDATES TO OUR PLANS

Oregon Tech’s Coronavirus website will continue to be a great resource for information and provide mechanisms for submitting questions or voicing concerns. Please also continue to read communication sent from the various offices regarding updates.

We are committed to ensuring that student success remains a pillar of Oregon Tech’s mission and strategic plan, and we will continue to make plans with this at the forefront. Thank you for your dedication to keeping our community safe and healthy.

Sincerely,

Nagi G. Naganathan, Ph.D., ASME Fellow
President
Oregon Institute of Technology