Dear faculty,
We understand that this is an extraordinarily uncertain, difficult, and stressful time for all members of the Rowan University community. For a variety of reasons, faculty members have expressed the desire to teach remotely in the fall, and we wish to honor those requests whenever possible. This will happen through two processes.
If you have health issues that you believe would preclude you from teaching on campus, please complete the form that begins on page 15 of this document: https://sites.rowan.edu/hr/_docs/home_page/managers-guide-to-return-to-work_v2.pdf.
We recognize there may be circumstances other than health issues that you feel would prevent you from teaching on campus, such as caregiver responsibilities, limitations on the operation of daycares and schools, and other needs relating to your individual, family, and community well-being. Starting on Monday, chairs/heads will reach out to the faculty members in their departments to determine whether faculty prefer to teach on campus or remotely. Faculty will not be asked to provide a justification for their choices. The chair/head will make every effort to offer teaching assignment that can be delivered remotely and will notify the Dean of the new assignments.
While we are hopeful that we can meet programmatic needs and each faculty member’s preferred mode of instruction, there may be times that this may not be the case. In those cases, the faculty member may file an appeal that will include the chair/head’s written explanation for the denial. The appeal will be reviewed by the Provost Review Board, and that Board may ask the faculty member to complete the Remote Teaching Request form to explain the rationale behind their original request.
Sincerely,
Joseph N. Basso, Ph.D., JD – Professor and President of AFT Local 2373
William Freind, Ph.D. – Professor and University Senate President
Anthony M. Lowman, Ph.D. – Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs