Stony Brook University is moving almost all summer classes online, Interim Provost Minghua Zhang confirmed in a campus-wide email on April 2.
He wrote that “exceptions may be made in very rare cases,” and that any on-campus courses will be identified in the summer course listings.
“All faculty are being asked to prioritize moving online any courses that are required for graduation to ensure that you can continue progressing toward your degree in a timely manner,” Zhang said.
All in-person undergraduate research projects will be suspended as well; undergraduate students are not permitted to come to campus for research.
The email came only a few minutes after an initial email from Rachelle Germana, associate provost for academic success, detailing registration dates for enrollment in the upcoming semester. Advanced class registration begins on April 6.
Students were asked to make sure that they enroll in classes no later than April 27. Academic advisors are offering virtual appointments through Navigate for students to check their degree progress.
The New York State Education Department issued guidance on April 2 authorizing universities “to do what they need to do with quite a bit of flexibility in terms of delivery with distance or remote instruction over the summer term,” State University of New York (SUNY) Senior Vice Chancellor and Provost, Tod Laursen, said during a virtual town hall on April 2.
“We hold out hope that maybe as we work later in the summer that some of the activities that we’re sort of used to seeing happen in the late summer or early fall time frame might be possible,” he added. “But certainly for the typical period of the summer session, you know, it looks quite likely that the situation we’re in is going to be with us, at least in some fashion for a while.”
Zhang wrote that the university administration is coordinating with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo’s office, SUNY and “other key stakeholders.” He told students to expect “similar announcements in the weeks and months ahead.”
