Welcome back to Pratt. We hope you are healthy and well as we are about to begin the fall term. This semester will be unlike any before: campus access has changed, residence halls are closed, and most classes will meet fully online, with others meeting in-person occasionally for essential activities. 

Included below—and on the Senate Resources page—are resources to help you prepare for the upcoming semester. We chose these links based on questions we’ve heard frequently from faculty, chairs, and staff, and more information is available through the Back to Pratt website.

You’ll hear more from us throughout the semester as regular work of the Academic Senate gets underway. We encourage you to be in touch with us or your senators about broad academic concerns at the Institute. Please sign up for the Senate newsletter if you’d like to receive monthly updates on Senate activities—these are in addition to calls for nominations and other announcements (like this one), which are sent to all Senate constituents directly.

Wishing you all good things for the semester,

–Chris, Audrey, Monica, and Uzma (Executive Committee)

For your courses
Some thoughts and questions we’ve heard from colleagues as we build our fall syllabi:

• what interaction is most important in our courses, and how we can make that the focus of in-person time or synchronous online sessions?
• should hybrid courses meet online for the first week or two—to give everyone enough time to access campus?
• talking with our students about how they’ll engage with us online, recognizing that video does not work for everyone
• developing course attendance policies that reflect empathy and compassion
• finding ways to incorporate Black Lives Matter resources into our courses
• being explicit about the moment we face and how students can access help during the pandemic
• stressing health and wellbeing in our syllabi, activities, and assignments

Back to Pratt
The Back to Pratt website has updated information on fall classes, returning to campus, and working at Pratt. Key resources include:

• Campus Access Checklist
• Tools, Support, and Training, including new technologies for the fall
• Pratt’s New York State Required COVID–19 Plan
• FAQs (searchable)

Center for Teaching and Learning
The Center for Teaching and Learning has put together resources to keep your classes clear, engaging, and equitable. Key sections of the site include:

• Tips and Guides for online teaching
• Resilient Teaching Online, a series focusing on resilience and trauma-informed practices
• Wellbeing Pedagogies for integrating faculty and student wellness in learning
• FAQs on Canvas and online teaching

Library Resources
Pratt Libraries are providing scheduled appointments for no-contact pickup of books and DVDs (starting Aug 24) and equipment (starting Sept 14), as well as expanded online services:

• Electronic reserves, including additional scanning services
• Search for and add library resources directly to Canvas courses
• Information literacy tutorials, resources, and customized instruction for classes
• Reference services via chat, email, and by appointment
• Special collections and archives scanning, video recordings, and a limited number of scheduled research appointments

Additional library resources are available at the Faculty Support page.

Faculty Union
Pratt faculty are represented by the UFTC Local 1460 through a Collective Bargaining Agreement. All faculty pay an agency fee for representation, and can choose to become a Union member, which gives them the right to attend Union meetings, agitate for issues to be brought to the negotiating table, participate in Union elections either as a voter or as a candidate, and vote to approve or reject the CBA, which will be re-negotiated in 2021.

• Become a union member
• 2016–2021 Contract
• Department standards and procedures on appointment, reappointment, promotion, and tenure