Save the Date: SJSU Adapt Town Hall Set for June 24; Repopulation Reminders and the Future of Work at SJSU; Recognizing our COVID-19 Campus Heroes

Sent: June 9, 2021
From: President Mary A. Papazian

Dear campus community,

With the state’s planned reopening next week, we expect a wide variety of changes that will affect our campus community in the fall. Ahead of our campus repopulation process beginning July 1, SJSU will be holding a SJSU Adapt town hall on Thursday, June 24 from 1:30 p.m. to 2:45 p.m.

Registration is required and questions can be submitted in advance. The town hall will be recorded and accessible on the SJSU Adapt website. 

The town hall will follow a similar format to previous ones, with introductory information regarding critical topics taking place before submitted questions are answered. You also will have the opportunity to ask questions during the town hall. We will do our best to answer all questions, prioritizing those that affect most, if not all, of our campus community.

With registration taking place before the June 15 reopening of California, there may be questions submitted that will be answered before the June 24 town hall. We will do our best to provide information based on our understanding of the expected changes in public health guidelines.

Repopulation reminders and the future of work at SJSU

As mentioned, our campus repopulation begins July 1. The month of July will serve as a transition period, with UP-approved department repopulation plans going into effect beginning Monday, August 2. Supervisors are distributing letters from UP regarding schedules beginning August 2. 

Our repopulation in the fall will guide how we approach the future of work. We know we don’t want to go back to where we were before the pandemic, but instead want to find out what makes the most sense for SJSU. We need to be intentional and thoughtful in the questions we ask as we build out an approach to what the future of work could look like for us. 

While the fall can give us a glimpse into flexibility, hybridization of services, and other elements we may have gained institutionally by working remotely, our longer term focus is on what the university will look like a year from now. We must first rebuild our community by re-establishing in person connections and then finding what balance is best for the future. I look forward to reconnecting on campus with many of you soon.

Recognizing our COVID-19 campus heroes

Many in the Spartan community have not set foot on campus for more than a year. But during the pandemic, the university remained open, and some reported to work on campus every day to keep it clean and beautiful. In the video below, meet Lila Garcia and David Johnson, two of SJSU’s COVID-19 heroes who cared for the campus during the pandemic.

This is the first in a series of videos we have planned to highlight the amazing work our Spartan community has been doing on campus throughout the pandemic.

Thank you to everyone who has kept SJSU beautiful and safe over the last 15 months. We look forward to all being together again soon as a Spartan community. 

Sincerely,

Dr. Mary A. Papazian
President