Academic Continuity Team Receives Chancellor’s Citation for Work to Address University’s COVID-19 Pandemic Challenges

When the COVID-19 pandemic began to spread across the globe in the spring of 2020, it brought to Syracuse University a countless number of unprecedented challenges. One of the most critical was to continue the work of educating more than 20,000 students with as little interruption as possible.

To tackle this Herculean challenge, the Academic Continuity Team was brought together to navigate Syracuse University through the spring 2020 semester and the 2020-21 academic year.

The team was recently awarded a Chancellor’s Citation for Outstanding Group Contributions to the Student Experience and University Initiatives. This award is made to members of the University faculty and staff, who, through their work, have enhanced the undergraduate experience for students, or made invaluable contributions to supporting and advancing the University’s mission and goals. This year’s Chancellor’s Citation Selection Committee created the special group category to recognize the team’s extraordinary contributions.

The Academic Continuity Team was nominated for its extraordinary and consistent efforts to facilitate the University’s transition to online and mixed delivery teaching modalities in the face of the many challenges created by the pandemic. The team created multiple modalities in support of faculty teaching during highly unusual and rapidly changing times, including “Teaching and Technology” emails, course transition services, course development services, an Online Success Toolkit and Zoom training.

The team is led by Martha Diede, director of the Center for Teaching and Learning Excellence (CTLE), and Michael Morrison, associate director of Academic Services Center for Information Technology Services (ITS). The team also includes Nicholas Bennett, program support coordinator in the CTLE; Eric Ferguson, communications manager for ITS; Michael Frasciello, dean of University College; Jenny Gluck, associate chief information officer for academic services in ITS; Jeanine Irons, faculty developer, CTLE; and Michael O’Mara, director of Learning Environments and Media Production in ITS.

“The leadership and academic staff on this team worked closely with others in Academic Affairs to anticipate needs, collaborate with faculty and create resources that enabled effective teaching and learning. Regardless of the course modality, Syracuse University’s outstanding faculty could draw on the resources and infrastructure created by the Academic Continuity Team, which continually adapted to changing conditions in and outside of our classrooms,” says Interim Provost John Liu.