Message from the Provost
San Francisco State’s long commitment to educational equity and social justice has never been more relevant. Fifty years ago the protests that launched our College of Ethnic Studies envisioned a university that both combats institutional and structural racism and prepares students to create new paradigms. Today, in widely documented police brutality that devalues Black lives, in a federal administration that fans the flames of racism and in the increasingly disparate impacts of COVID-19 on our communities of color, the problems that our visionary students identified come into ever-sharper focus. They also challenge us to hold ourselves accountable to our own highest standards by confronting the challenging legacies of institutional racism and anti-Blackness that affect faculty, students and staff on our campus, and by advancing relevant education through curricula that matter and teaching that liberates. We are the university our world needs now.
During this unprecedented time of crisis and uncertainty, the Provost’s Office website has been redesigned in order to provide updated information, materials and links that address questions from faculty and academic leaders and staff. You are also invited to ask questions that you don’t see addressed here through the tab on your right.
Information and Updates
In a letter to the entire campus community on Friday July 17, 2020, President Mahoney, Provost Summit, Vice President for Student Affairs and Enrollment Management Beth Hellwig, and College Deans Alvin Alvarez (College of Health and Social Sciences), Carmen Domingo (College of Science and Engineering), Cynthia Grutzik, (Graduate College of Education), Andrew Harris (College of Liberal and Creative Arts), Amy Sueyoshi (College of Ethnic Studies), and Yim-Yu Wong (Lam Family College of Business) affirmed the university’s deep commitment to the anti-racist work of Black Lives Matter and resolved to do more to meet our critical goals through a deliberate set of actions:
- Implementing workshops and other educational opportunities for University employees that address white supremacy and anti-Blackness and requiring these for all managers
- Continuing anti-bias education and other best practices to ensure more diverse pools and hiring
- Incorporating anti-racist education in all Student Life programming, including new student programming, leadership development and wellness initiatives
- Recruiting, retaining and graduating Black students by developing partnerships with regional K-12 and community college districts and by strengthening work to eliminate equity gaps
- Developing new programs that strengthen the pipelines to graduate education and careers for Black students
- Bolstering Black student life on campus by increasing support for the Office of Equity and Community Inclusion and the Black Unity Center
- Raising philanthropic funds for the College of Ethnic Studies and for the financial support of students whose studies focus on the Pan-African diaspora or Black populations
- Advancing curricula that support Black student success by increasing the number of faculty whose work lies in the Pan-African diaspora or who have a demonstrated record of success in research, teaching and/or service with Black populations, offering anti-racist pedagogical workshops for faculty, solidifying pathways for double majors or minors in identity-based degrees and increasing community service learning opportunities with our Black community partners
- Reallocating funding from policing to ensure continued support for campus programs that support BLM and anti-racist initiatives, reviewing and revising University protocols related to policing, and creating an advisory council for campus safety
- For more information about this initiative, see SF State’s Black Lives Matter page
In planning for the fall semester, the University has adhered to the current ordinances of the City and County of San Francisco Department of Public Health. We understand that our plans are subject to change at any moment. The University is prepared to move all classes and services to remote modalities, should a resurgence COVID-19 occur at any time during the fall semester. This document serves as a summary of our fall semester 2020 plan. For more information and updates, please refer to SF State’s COVID-19 site
San Francisco State’s Campus Plan for Fall, 2020, commits to the health and safety of our students, faculty, staff, and community by limiting the numbers of in-person instruction and support activities to the smallest possible number while also supporting student degree progress. With the collaboration of the departments, colleges, and other administrative units, the campus will offer only 70 face-to-face courses (and sections of courses), with all other teaching carried out through remote modalities. See Academics and Advising FAQ for classes that will meet in person.
Fall 2020 – Staff and faculty presence on campus
Generally, staff who are working remotely and faculty who are not teaching face-to-face, on campus courses should refrain from coming to campus.
Staff and faculty who need to access campus resources to perform essential work or teach, as well as students who have face-to-face classes or are residing in university housing, are permitted on campus. Staff who do not need to be present on campus to perform their responsibilities must obtain approval from their direct supervisor before coming to campus so we are aware of who is in campus buildings. Faculty intermittently coming to campus must obtain their department chair’s authorization and notify their dean so we are aware of who is in campus buildings.
Staff and faculty should be aware of the varying, frequently-changing schedule for when buildings are open. Health and safety and cleaning protocols will be aligned with when buildings are open.
What you should know before coming to campus:
- Complete the required training: “Working Safely During the COVID-19 Pandemic.” The training will be assigned directly from CSU Learn. This mandatory training is required by Cal/OSHA regulations. Since this training includes information about COVID-19 and measures that can help protect you at home as well as on the job, it is being assigned to all employees, even those who have not been approved to work on campus and are working from home exclusively. Trainings will be updated as circumstances change.
- Complete a daily online health screening prior to coming to campus.
Upon arrival at SF State campus, staff and faculty must do the following:
- Wear a face covering
- Maintain a minimum 6-foot distance from other people
- Observe posted signage and going out guidance
- Practice proper health hygiene
Access to academic buildings will be facilitated by Gators Helping Gators (GHG) Ambassadors beginning on Monday, August 24. GHG Ambassadors will be positioned at the designated entrances of all academic buildings and will greet students, faculty, and staff upon entrance to the buildings. Students, faculty, and staff will be expected to present their health screening “badge” via their smartphone to the GHG Ambassadors. GHG Ambassadors will distribute Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) as needed.
For Detailed Information - See Campus Wide Message on August 21st
SF State has allocated $1.9 million in CARES 2 Act funding to support technology needs for continued remote instruction through the 2020-2021 academic year. Academic Technology (AT) is partnering with colleges, departments, the Library, and Information Technology Services to identify critical technology needs for remote instruction and will lead the acquisition and distribution of these items. The strategy is to fulfill needs in three distinct areas:
Student Baseline Technology Needs – Student technology needs have been focused around access to computers and internet connectivity. In order to best meet those needs, the number of laptops available in the Library Student Laptop checkout pool will be doubled to accommodate increased demand from remote instruction. A special internet connectivity support channel will also be established to provide support to students for internet access.
https://instructionalcontinuity.sfsu.edu/keep-learning-student-technology-quickguide
Instructor Baseline Technology Needs – Instructors across the University have a set of common technology needs for conducting remote instruction. These include equipment such as webcams, digital writing pads, or headsets. A request form is available for faculty to request accessories that support their remote instruction needs.
https://sfsu.service-now.com/sp?id=sc_cat_item&sys_id=01f526fc1ba55450f3ca8661cd4bcba8
Laptops are also an important equipment need. Academic Technology has partnered with departments to determine and prioritize needs for adjunct faculty. Additionally, a form is available for all instructors to indicate a need for support or replacement of their existing computer.
https://sfsu.service-now.com/sp?id=sc_cat_item&sys_id=ea9c656ddb8e105081fd16994b9619c1
Departmental and Central Learning Technologies Needs – Targeting needs at the curriculum level will have the greatest impact on enabling and enhancing quality remote instruction. Academic Technology will coordinate with all department and programs to determine needs for technology related hardware, software, or services that support courses and curriculum. Additionally, centralized or shared services will be established to support key needs affecting multiple programs and students across the University.
Updated information can be found at Academic Technology
A survey developed by the University Research Council (URC) was sent to faculty to assess their needs for facilities access to support their research, scholarship and creative work outside of normal course instruction. One important concern was to support graduate students’ thesis and degree progress.
Additional submission windows will be offered in the future. Check back here for future dates. Applications were submitted through InfoReady proposal management system.
Successful applicants must be approved by Chair, Dean, AVP for Research, and Provost. Announcements were sent to all tenure/tenure track faculty on June 11th with applications accepted June 12th to June 22nd. Informational open forums were held June 12th and 15th.
Received 19 fieldwork requests ad 57 applications from faculty.
We are currently taking new applications. Please follow link for information. Deadline August 24.
The Center for Equity and Excellence in Teaching and Learning (CEETL) is offering a series of faculty development offerings to support SF State faculty as they prepare to teach in online modalities for Fall 2020. Upon completion of one or more of these programs, faculty will receive a stipend funded through a CARES-2 allocation.
The Online Teaching Lab is a fully online course about online teaching and explores inclusive pedagogies that humanize the online experience for students and instructors. Topics include resilient course design, trauma-informed teaching, low-bandwidth teaching, video strategies, accessibility, assessment and academic integrity.
The JEDI PIE Institute builds a community of JEDI (Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion) protagonists through 10 hours of practice of developing anti-racist pedagogy and dismantling white supremacy in online teaching. Special attention will be paid to accessibility and universal design for learning; microaggressions in teaching practices; anti-racism in designing assignments and assessments; and centering student voice and experience.
Online Teaching Squares bring together four faculty members to form a supportive, non-evaluative “teaching square,” to share inclusive teaching practices and learn from each other throughout the fall semester. Interested participants may propose their own four members, or may ask to be added to a Teaching Square.
These programs, which are offered in summer and fall, are optional and need not need not be taken sequentially or as a pre-requisite to each other, though they have been designed to build upon each other in meaningful ways when taken in succession. Please visit the CEETL Website (http://ceetl.sfsu.edu) to learn more and register.
All library services are available remotely. The Library Building closed Mon. 3/30 at 7:00 p.m. and will remain closed for the duration of the delivery of classes by remote modalities.
For updated library information go to Library resources and services during the COVID-19 Campus Closure