Reimagining Baruch in a Post-COVID World
Charge for the “Task Force for the Future”
May 28, 2020
S. David Wu, PhD
President, Baruch College
Introduction. The COVID-19 pandemic has forced higher education institutions to reassess the way we deliver education, research, and creative work, while maintaining the health and safety of the campus community. This is an unprecedented disruption for higher education, and for Baruch. The road to recovery will be bumpy, but it is likely to take us to a new normal, which could lead to a fundamental paradigm shift in higher education. Not only should we contemplate our place in that future, we should be poised to lead the paradigm shift through Baruch’s signature creativity and innovation. It is for this reason that, before even assuming my official duties as president, I am asking Interim Provost McCarthy to stand up a special “Task Force for the Future” immediately—we will use this crisis to put Baruch on a path to lead, to envision a transformation that allow us to deliver our mission with better quality, more flexibility, to assure the health and safety of our students, faculty, and staff, and to help hard-hit communities in New York City in the recovery from COVID-19.
Situation Analysis. Given the vertical configuration of Baruch’s campus, it is simply impossible to return to “normal” instruction in the near future while observing social distancing. Adding the public transportation challenges, and the shell-shock experienced by faculty, staff and students—who may not be ready to go back to “normal” mode of operation right away, there is a need to map out a multi-stage “reopening” plan for the coming year that is sufficiently flexible and adaptable to CUNY, NYS, and NYC policies, while positioning the College for long-term growth.
Portfolio of Modes for Future Instruction. To make sure that the faculty are empowered to deliver instruction based on pedagogical merit, they should be provided a rich portfolio of tools to create the best mode of instruction for each course. A possible framework to conceive future modes of instruction is as “sliding scale hybrid instruction.” Consider the construct of each class along the continuum of hybrid instruction. One may define this continuum based on CUNY categorization—from in-person, to web enhanced, partially online, hybrid, online, to fully online. In the immediate future, all classes may be configured as—again, using CUNY definitions—Partially Online (up to 32%), Hybrid (33-80%), or Online (80-100%). This will allow for significantly smaller number of face-to-face classes at any given time, meeting the pre-condition for social distancing. Over time, the degree of hybrid instruction will evolve. I challenge the task force to conceive an intentional and systematic regime, considering:
- Mobilize the faculty to map out their classes in one of three modalities (PO, H, O), with guidelines based on pedagogical needs and subject to space limitations, perhaps with assistance from Baruch’s Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL);
- Given the course mapping, configure the registration and class scheduling system to accommodate the offerings;
- Redeploy academic resources to support faculty and staff in the new reality.
Position Baruch for the Future:
- Located in lower Manhattan, Baruch has inherited physical constrains that limit its capacity for future growth;
- A majority of Baruch’s academic programs are quite conducive to incorporating some degree of hybrid instruction. The core competency (such as that of the CTL) in supporting such instruction is strong, but additional investment and partnerships will be essential as we increase the scale and sophistication of enhanced hybrid learning;
- Shifting to a sliding scale hybrid instruction offers Baruch new opportunities to innovate as a leading urban institution. For example, hybrid instructions allow room to incorporate significant experiential and service learning components, allowing faculty to leverage the richness of the City through co-op, internships, and community engagement;
- A dedicated “Baruch for New York” service learning initiative could mobilize Baruch students and faculty to engage and assist hard-hit communities in New York City in the recovery effort from COVID-19. The service learning component could be designed and imbedded into hybrid instruction as projects or assignments, or as credit bearing experiential courses;
- The task force is encouraged to envision, over multiple stages, build-in flexibility for faculty/staff to come back on campus over the coming months. It should open new opportunities for faculty/staff to conceive more productive ways to work and collaborate.
Specifically, I am charging the Task Force for the Future to consider the following areas:
- instructional and research programs of the College,
- administrative, technological, and operational functions,
- admission, enrollment, and student services
- facilities, safety, and college services,
- financial implications and economic impact,
- communications, branding and reputational impact
Proposed Timeline:
- “Task Force of the Future” begins with a “Charge and Kick-off Meeting” during the week of May 25th.
- Task Force starts working, with the aim to producing an initial report by June 30th, one that provides a concrete, comprehensive plan for the fall 2020, and spring 2021.
- Task Force, simultaneously, launches the preparation of a subsequent report that will present an expansive and ambitious “Conceptual Framework for The Future” (i.e., Academic Year 2021-2022 and beyond). This Framework will be presented in draft form by August 31st, and in final form by September 30th.
- Community updates will be provided throughout the Summer, and feedback will be encouraged throughout the process.
- Following the completion of the “Conceptual Framework”, an extensive communication effort will begin, and further College-wide engagement in implementing the Framework will continue into the future.
