For students unable to join the virtual town hall discussions, the following Q&A addresses many questions frequently asked by students. Please note, we are still navigating substantial uncertainty and complexities and the Q&A will be updated as more information becomes available.

Financial

Tuition/fees: Will tuition change if some or all of a course is delivered virtually?

Dean Cancian: The short answer is that there has been no announced change in tuition by Georgetown University (which sets tuition), and I have no information that suggests there will be a change.

The longer answer is that there are many, opposing, factors at play. On the one hand, making a McCourt education more affordable is my top priority as we work on securing additional resources for the School, and we recognize that priority is all the more urgent given the financial challenges our students are facing and the uncertainty of the job market. On the other hand, going virtual has not reduced the costs of a McCourt education. Our School costs are 95% faculty and staff salaries, and our faculty and staff are fully engaged in trying to deliver the best classes, academic and career advising, and other programming, virtually.

Unpaid internship fund: Are there plans to expand the McCourt Fund for Student Excellence which provides funding for unpaid internships? Is this something McCourt is prioritizing?

The McCourt Fund for Student Excellence provides stipends for summer internships which are unpaid. The Fund is supported through donations from alumni and others and is supplemented by the McCourt School budget. We have typically been able to provide up to 14 students with a 00 stipend. Given the anticipated increase in need, we are working to identify additional resources for this fund and will also consider allocating somewhat smaller awards per student, to be able to provide a greater number of awards. McCourt does prioritize the McCourt Fund for Student Excellence, and all student support, in our fundraising efforts. We also appreciate the Class of 2020’s class gift supporting this fund.

Fall Semester

What are the contingency plans for the fall semester? Do you have an idea of how likely it is that the fall semester might be online? When will students be alerted of any changes?

We are planning the full complement of classes and activities with the capacity to move from on-campus to virtual instruction for any part of the semester if it is required to keep our community safe and healthy. Students, faculty and staff did an amazing job pivoting to #McCourtVirtual this spring as a crisis response. For the fall, we have much more time to develop approaches to teaching and learning that can adapt to the dynamic situation.

We cannot control the factors that will determine campus status (e.g. the course of the pandemic, the availability of testing), but we will be positioned to deliver a strong educational experience. The University faces many challenges in determining when to resume classes on campus. Because the McCourt School is a graduate-only institution and we generally have smaller classes, there are fewer barriers to on-campus instruction for our programs (e.g. we do not depend on conditions allowing for dorms to open).

Curriculum

Summer Classes: Will you offer virtual core and elective courses this summer?

Yes. Typically during the summer, we only offer core, required courses for the MPM and MPP-Evening Program. This summer, we will take the restriction off of the MPP-EP courses in order for full-time MPP students to register if they would like. DSPP students who have not taken Process or Management can also register for the MPP courses. We will not offer MIDP core courses over the summer because of the cohort model.

Additionally, we will be adding electives to the summer course schedule. At the current moment, they include Qualitative Research Methods, Strategic Advocacy, Speechwriting & Public Policy, and Leadership & Communication. We are looking to add 1-2 more, possibly in the international development or data science spaces. The McDonough School of Business and School of Foreign Service are also adding electives to their schedules, and you can also consider taking courses through the Consortium of Universities.

We will also be offering over 15 skills-building workshops to help enhance resumes in the face of limited internship opportunities. These workshops are free non-credit opportunities to help enhance your skills and advance your curriculum. We will send more information about the summer courses and skills workshops next week.

Leave of Absence: If students are not on-campus by the fall, will McCourt allow students to take a leave of absence until in-person classes resume? If so, how will McCourt support these students during that time, ensure continuity in pursuing their degree and assist in the eventual transition back to school?

Yes, all graduate students are permitted to take up to 4 semesters of a Personal Leave of Absence (LOA), per the Graduate School Bulletin. Students need to work with Director of Academic Affairs Nirmala Fernandes to determine how the curriculum will work if they take leave. Students have until the add/drop deadline to make a decision about taking a Leave of Absence for the semester. Students will still be on the McCourt and Georgetown University listservs, and the Graduate School Academic Affairs office will reach out to students to confirm whether a student is extending the LOA or is planning to return the following semester. Students need to complete a petition for each semester they want to take a LOA. Please note, it is not guaranteed that students will be able to keep their same level of scholarship if they take a LOA.

Online Course Development: How you anticipate classes will be different in the fall if they are still online? What specific steps is McCourt taking to train professors in providing content online? Will McCourt be moving away from a straight “online lecture” format to something that better takes advantage of the strengths of the online medium?

If fall classes must be online, we are utilizing the results from the spring 2020 Early Course/Professor surveys distributed by Leslie earlier this week and from the campus course evaluations to inform faculty as they prepare to teach in a remote environment. We have established a Faculty Committee of full-time faculty that students have identified as particularly successful in teaching in an online environment. This committee, chaired by Dean Cancian, will review the survey results to put together best practice resources, training, and workshops for faculty teaching in the summer and in the fall. In contrast to this spring, when both students and faculty had to manage an abrupt transition with almost no planning time. We will be better positioned to incorporate innovative techniques and resources to create a better remote learning environment given the additional time to prepare and lessons learned from this semester.

Our student organizations have done an incredible job of supporting each other during this challenging time.

Student Support

General: How are you planning to support students through this time?

The University added the pass/fail grading option to help all students who may be struggling academically or personally. The University has also extended its grading deadlines for faculty to help give students additional time to complete coursework.

The Graduate School has set up a Graduate Student Relief Fund for COVID-19 , which is open to all students. To help with summer employment, McCourt Research Centers and McCourt faculty are identifying Research Assistant positions over the summer and will post available opportunities in McCourtConnects. Please refer to the Career Development section below for further details.

Our Academic & Student Affairs team, including our econometrics advisor and Writing Center, continue to support students through virtual office hours, one-on-one appointments, email Q&As, etc. We send weekly emails about scholarships, Graduate School workshops, campus resources, outside opportunities, etc. For graduating students, we are hosting a McCourt Virtual Awards Ceremony on Monday, May 11 while we wait for additional details about the postponed commencement ceremony. We are also hosting a McCourt Virtual Showcase on April 27 for students to present research, capstones, data visualizations, or other projects they have worked on this year. As mentioned above, we will also be offering a free, non-credit skills workshop series this summer to help students enhance their skill sets and advance their curriculum.

Our student organizations are offering engaging virtual programming, both policy-related and wellness-related to support care for the whole person. The virtual programming has included meditation workshops, virtual happy hours, the creation of a McCourt student Slack (called New Old North), Instagram takeovers, along with game/movie nights and more. Also, the Georgetown Public Policy Review has set up a blog for students to share their COVID-19 related experiences and insights.

We continue to hold monthly meetings between McCourt Student Association (MSA) leaders and McCourt leadership to share information and discuss issues/concerns. MSA’s election events and voting have taken place virtually, and we look forward to working with our incoming student leaders in the year ahead.

International students: What is being done to support international students’ particular challenges?

About a month ago, we reached out to all international students personally with support for their specific needs and concerns. We supported our students returning to their home countries as needed and have worked with their faculty to ensure that they can be successful while in different time zones. We continue to try to identify sources of funding and services to help our international students manage the high costs of living in DC, especially when they may have anticipated moving home or working abroad for the summer. The University has also compiled a list of International Student FAQs to help guide faculty and administrators in understanding the visa implications, processes, and policies for incoming, graduating, and returning international students.

Career Development

Job/ Internship Strategies: How should graduating students approach the job search? Should we be more flexible to positions like internships, part-time positions, or short-term positions?

Graduating students should continue their job searches. The Office of Career Development (OCD) is currently surveying employers and over 60% reported that they plan to continue their recruiting and hiring efforts at this time. There are other employers who are undecided as to how they will proceed and employers who are trying to devise alternative methods to continue hiring, such as transitioning positions to remote work temporarily or permanently.

The Office of Career Development is monitoring the situation daily and will continue to share updates from employers with students as they come in through the weekly career newsletter and targeted email blasts. It may be helpful to consider marketing transferable skills to appeal to a wider range of employers and exploring policy areas and sectors with increased demand (health, labor, non-profits).

OCD has also reached out to McCourt alumni via LinkedIn to ask if they are hiring and continue to post open positions on McCourtConnects. In the coming weeks, OCD will also be hosting several virtual employer information sessions and continues to be available for virtual advising appointments to assist with job search strategy/pivots, resume edits, etc.

Networking: How should graduating students leaving D.C. approach networking, particularly with folks with whom no established connection exists?

This pandemic has forced many people into a place of transition with respect to their careers. As such, many people are networking and building connections with others. The Office of Career Development (OCD) can assist students with drafting introductory emails, preparing for informational interviews, alumni LinkedIn searches, and connecting students with alumni. The OCD has hosted a mock interview program with McCourt alumni and continues to work on a series of alumni coffee chats for current students.

Students should also consider reaching out to alumni from their undergraduate institutions that live in their desired locations, as well alumni regional clubs from Georgetown , undergraduate institutions or high school. Many of these clubs have Facebook and LinkedIn groups with many opportunities to connect and get involved.

If students are planning to relocate post-graduation, the easiest place to get started is through Hoya Gateway . Hoya Gateway is a university-wide networking platform with over 10,000 current students and alumni. Alumni join with the expectation that students will message them for informational interviews, building new relationships, etc. The message response rate is 84%. Students can search for alumni by geographic location, degree or school, and a myriad of other fields. The Career Development team is also able to assist students with a remote job search strategy in their desired locations.

Other

How can we order official transcripts while campus is closed? If we need to pick them up for ourselves or have them sent to another organization?

Students can still order official transcripts from the Registrar’s Office. The office will send the transcripts either directly to the student or to the organization as requested by the student. You cannot pick them up in person.

What are some ways you’ve maintained your sanity during these times?

 
Our student organizations have done an impressive job of helping our community maintain our sanity during these challenging times. As mentioned above, SAPRI, LAPA, and other student organizations have held meditation, mindfulness, and anxiety reduction workshops; they are also currently working on a meditation retreat later this month. GPPR has created the COVID-19 blog where students can express both their personal opinions and policy insights. Additionally, the Graduate School has implemented a workshop series with Dr. Engin Ontivaros from Georgetown’s Counseling & Psychological Services Office to address graduate students’ specific needs regarding mental and physical wellness. On a lighter note, Jacci’s weekly trivia game continues to bring joy.

On a personal note, as Dean, I have been both inspired and motivated by the way our community– students, staff and faculty– have responded to the pandemic and the extraordinary demands being made of everyone. Some days the demands feel overwhelming; how can we meet our educational and professional goals when the situation makes everything harder– teaching, learning, planning for the future, or just getting through the day? I have been trying to focus on the things that are under our control (e.g. planning for great fall classes and activities), and the resources we have, individually and collectively, to take care of one another and move forward.