Message from the Interim President to Faculty, Staff and Students (03/26/2020)

Dear BMCC Community,

First and foremost, I hope you and your loved ones are staying safe and doing the best you can during these challenging times. Our hearts go out especially for those in our community who have fallen ill. Please know that your BMCC family wishes you a speedy recovery and the very best.

We have been asked to make unprecedented sacrifices, and we are traveling together on a journey with many unknowns. I am so proud of and very grateful for the hard work, creativity and dedication of faculty, staff and students in making the transition last week to distance teaching, learning and support services. We have proven that we can rise up and come together as a community to maintain academic continuity, student engagement, and our culture of care, despite many obstacles.

The Chancellor announced a recalibration period starting March 27 through April 1 to allow faculty, staff and students additional time as necessary to strengthen the tools and strategies we are using to deliver instruction and support services from a distance, most importantly to ensure that all students have equitable access to the technology they need to succeed. The primary purpose of the recalibration period is to allow for the expanded distribution of laptops to students who need them. We will provide more details on that distribution shortly.

The Chancellor also indicated that courses that were fully online or hybrid prior to our transition to full distance learning can continue uninterrupted. I strongly encourage all faculty, staff and students to stay connected (from a distance) during the recalibration period. We ask for flexibility and patience particularly for students struggling with technology or other adjustment issues.

Taking care of our community remains at the forefront. The Panther Pantry is open again for limited hours; BMCC’s Early Childhood Center remains open, one of only two in CUNY; and almost all our student support services and resources such as admissions, advisement, tutoring, and counseling are available at a distance. Please check our website for updates, hours of availability and links to services. We welcome your feedback as always on how we can improve.

Thank you all for your generous understanding, strength and compassion. We will get through this together, and we will be stronger on the other side. BMCC strong. Please continue to take good care of yourselves, your families and those around you.