March 17 Update

Dear McCourt Community:

I want to congratulate our community on a largely successful first day at #McCourtVirtual. To be sure, there were a few hiccups. There were also many examples of great collaboration, innovation, and problem-solving. I am confident our dedicated partners in teaching and learning will find further success.

Here are five things to know today:

  1. Thank you: I continue to be impressed with the resiliency, dedication and daily acts of compassion I see in response to this crisis within our community. Thank you for your patience and flexibility as we navigate this new world. 
  2. Breathe: We know this transition has been a lot. Many of you have been confronted not only with challenges related to learning online, but with personal and family issues in light of this global health crisis. We understand that you may need additional flexibilities, and we are here to help. McCourt students and faculty should contact their programs’ Faculty Directors, Leslie Evertz, or Nirmala Fernandes. We are working to develop and share resources with research center directors and all supervisors. Georgetown has also posted a helpful page outlining University counseling and health resources.
  3. Email: It’s been difficult to keep up with all the Georgetown and McCourt communications on the COVID-19 outbreak. You can access the Georgetown archive  and the McCourt archive. 
  4. Learning Resources: One consistent piece of feedback we’ve heard this week is that teaching and learning online may require more of your time. We offer a range of resources designed to support your transition into this new context, and to assist with navigating teleworking and other issues related to this move. Many of these resources can be found on McCourt’s Emergency Preparedness website and Georgetown’s Coronavirus Resource Center. 
  5. Engage: We are actively seeking creative ways to sustain and build community in response to our new context. The McCourt School is kicking off a new virtual campaign called #McCourtVirtual to elevate community-building efforts and help people stay engaged and up to date on all that is happening around McCourt. Join the conversation on social media using the hashtag #McCourtVirtual. GU Politics has moved to all-virtual programming, including their #GUVirtualDebate, virtual office hours and discussion groups with Fellows, and their first Forum event, Leadership During Crisis: Combating the Coronavirus, which will take place this Thursday, March 19 at 7:30pm. And tonight, I look forward to hosting a Zoom session with McCourt student leaders to share updates and discuss ideas for fostering community online.

Thanks again for all you are doing to contribute to our community, even as you take care of yourself and work to identify and engage the resources you need to stay strong. Please continue to share your feedback and ideas for improving our approach. You can email me at mcancian@georgetown.edu.

Thank you,

Dean Maria