March 23 Update – Maria

Dear McCourt Students:

As you know, Georgetown and McCourt have activated a number of resources in support of Georgetown students during this dynamic and challenging time. I thought it might be helpful to remind you of what is available:

TECHNOLOGY

•  Georgetown’s Center for New Designs in Learning and Leadership (CNDLS) has developed several documents to help you make the transition to online learning including Being a Successful Student Online: Tips for our new remote learning context, A Student Checklist for Remote Learning , and A Student’s Guide to Zoom .
•  With our move to an all-virtual environment, we have seen an increased number of phishing emails in our community. Please be vigilant– in addition to using good judgement, review the sender’s email address and any URLs before replying or clicking, and keep an eye out for poor spelling and grammar. Please share any suspected phishing emails with McCourt’s Director of Computing and Information Services David Boyer .  
•  The university has developed several Georgetown-themed Zoom backdrops. 
•  Please take a moment to fill out the brief survey shared yesterday by Georgetown Provost Robert Groves, so we can learn more about your experience with our transition to online instruction. Many of you have been reaching out to McCourt faculty, staff and leadership. We very much value this McCourt-specific feedback, so please keep it coming!

ACADEMICS

•  Our Academic & Student Affairs team is here to support you! Please schedule a Zoom  appointment, phone call, or chat for:
•  Academic advising, registration, course planning: Director of Academic Affairs Nirmala Fernandes (nf168.youcanbook.me )
•  Thesis/capstone data advising, Stata questions: Academic & Data Analysis Advisor Eric Gardner (ericgardnerthesis.youcanbook.me )
•  Graduation, student organizations/activities: Associate Director of Student Affairs Jaclyn Clevenger (jc2505@georgetown.edu )
•  Student and academic crises, academic accommodations: Associate Dean of Student Affairs Leslie Evertz (lse5@georgetown.edu )
•  If you have have questions about academic flexibilities, please refer to our frequently asked questions or contact Director of Academic Affairs Nirmala Fernandes (nf168@georgetown.edu )
•  The McCourt School Writing Center has also gone virtual, and is available to students for editorial sessions to review their memoranda, essays, theses and capstone projects, and research papers. Email Susan or Jeff to make a virtual appointment. 

CAREER

•  The McCourt School Office of Career Development and Alumni Engagement will host all career development and programming virtually, including events and workshops, advising appointments, career-related document review and editing, and interview prep. You can make an appointment through McCourtConnects . 
•  Join them for their first virtual event, the 2020 McCourt School Virtual Alumni Mock Interview Program, which will provide students the unique opportunity to gain first-hand interview practice with McCourt School alumni who will offer constructive feedback.

HEALTH

•  Georgetown offers a range of health resources on the university’s COVID-19 Resource Center to help members of our community with these questions, including their Health Information page, which provides a glossary of terms related to COVID-19, information on symptoms, what you should do if you feel sick or if you have contact with individuals who test positive for COVID-19 , and guidance on best practices for social distancing and prevention.
•  Georgetown also offers a range of counseling and psychiatric services. Anyone who might need support to reach out to university resources, including the Office of Campus Ministry and Counseling and Psychiatric Services (CAPS).  

McCourt School leadership, faculty, and staff are fully committed to your success navigating the challenges ahead. Our resources will continue to evolve and strengthen as we gain a better appreciation of your concerns, and what we can do to address them. Please let me know how we are doing, and share any questions or suggestions. 

You have my best wishes for a good week.

Dean Maria