Dear Members of the GSE Community,
I write to you today to give you an update on our plans for the spring semester. The results of recent surveys to both students and faculty indicated a very strong preference for GSE to remain online for the spring semester. Specifically, 91% of students and 98% of faculty reported a preference for online and/or hybrid courses, with the majority reporting a preference for fully online courses.
As you know, the needs of our GSE community are not the same as others at Fordham. Many of you have to juggle school with increasing responsibilities at home and work. There also appears to be lingering concerns about returning to campus given the uncertainty surrounding the pandemic. Students are also reporting that they generally remain satisfied with their online courses. In light of this, GSE will remain online for the spring 2021 semester.
Please know that despite being online, we remain steadfastly committed to ensuring the highest quality of education. Thanks to your input, we know that we have important work ahead of us. I hear you and will do whatever I can to ensure that we meet (or even exceed) expectations so that all students receive the transformative education that they deserve and that all faculty feel confident in their abilities to deliver their courses online. To that end, through the fall and beyond, we will continue to work on improving our online course delivery to better incorporate best practices in inclusive, equitable online instruction. We also remain committed to ensuring that all of our students meet New York State certification and/or licensure requirements.
As you plan for the upcoming semester, I hope that the following information will be helpful:
● The GSE calendar for the spring semester will remain unchanged: ○ For traditional programs, classes will begin as scheduled on January 11 and will end on May 18. ○ For our GSE online/2U programs, classes will begin as scheduled on January 11 and will end on April 25.
● Five-year track seniors who are enrolled in GSE courses will follow the GSE calendar, as these courses will be offered in an online format. Five-year track sophomores and juniors will participate in online seminars, which will be aligned with the FCRH and FCLC calendars.
● For students in our traditional programs, we will continue to observe breaks in February (February 15 – 19) and in March/April (March 29-April 2) with very minor modifications. In line with the rest of the university, we will also observe a mid-semester break on March 10.
● We will continue to observe all deadlines related to dissertations as scheduled — please consult the GSE academic calendar for important dates.
● We have pushed back the registration period for the spring 2021 semester until November 30. The academic advising period will begin on November 2.
● As a reminder, if you are experiencing any technology-related issues, please contact Fordham IT (718-817-3999) or go to this webpage for more information about resources available to you. I sincerely hope that this message continues to find you and your loved ones safe and healthy.
All my best,
Akane Zusho, Ph.D., Interim Dean
