6:18 PM

Tusculum University has learned five students of ours have tested positive for the coronavirus. None of these students has been on the campus for several days. We are heartened the initial reports we have received indicate students are doing well.

With the amount of time that has elapsed since students moved off campus, we continue to encourage our Pioneers to use healthy practices and social distancing to reduce their risk while they are off campus.

4:48 PM

Today, Tusculum University learned a third student of ours tested positive for the coronavirus. This student had traveled out of state during spring break with the first two students who tested positive.

We are following the same process with this third student as the others, providing to the Northeast Tennessee Regional Health Office the names of everyone who has had contact with this person. None of these students has been on the Tusculum campus for several days.

Tusculum is praying for these students and their families.

2:00 PM

Tusculum University was informed late Saturday, March 21, that a second student of ours tested positive for the coronavirus. This student had traveled during spring break with the first student who tested positive Friday, March 20, and was no longer on the Tusculum campus when the test came back positive.

We are providing to the Northeast Tennessee Regional Health Office the names of all people who have had contact with this newest student to test positive. That is the same action we took with the first student and will enable that agency to contact those people.

Tusculum is working closely with the Northeast Tennessee Regional Health Office on this matter. We have also informed the Tusculum family and are continuing to encourage them to practice appropriate measures to minimize their risk of contracting the coronavirus.

11:08 AM

Tusculum University was notified Friday morning, March 20, that one of our students tested positive for the coronavirus. We immediately set in motion a plan instructing all nonessential personnel to begin working remotely. We are also telling all of our students who are on campus that we are closing the residence halls. We are notifying the health department of all campus members who have been in contact with the infected student so those individuals can be contacted by a health department official regarding next steps.

Tusculum University is committed to the well-being of all students, faculty and staff and will continue to be a resource for anyone who needs assistance. The university and classes will continue to function, and we will remain on track to finish the remainder of the spring semester.

Our prayers go to the student who tested positive, as well as anyone else who might have had contact with that person.

Dear Tusculum family,

As we make the necessary changes outlined in the message sent to you at 10:31 a.m., this remains a fluid situation. We encourage you to continue paying attention to your campus email for updates.

Here are a few additional items:

Effective immediately, students should not come to the cafeteria for their meals. Instead, Student Affairs staff members will deliver meals to the common areas of the residence halls. Distribution will be noon-12:45 p.m. for lunch and 5-5:45 p.m. for dinner. We will update you should anything change in this process.

In addition, the Chick-fil-A restaurant on the Tusculum campus is closing temporarily, effective at 2 p.m. today.

Also, we want to reinforce that we will remain on track toward completing the spring semester fully online. Students and faculty members should continue to communicate with each other via the Moodle platform and work toward the completion of all course assignments.

Thank you.

1:23 PM

Dear Tusculum family,

As Tusculum University continues to monitor the coronavirus situation, we are making appropriate adjustments and providing services you need. I want to keep you apprised.

• Tusculum is postponing spring graduation until Saturday, Aug. 8, at 10:30 a.m. in Pioneer Arena. This ceremony will be for all spring and summer graduates. Those who are scheduled to graduate in May will not have to wait until August to have their degrees conferred and their diplomas awarded.
• Should we have the opportunity to return to face-to-face instruction, any students who have chosen to leave the Tusculum campus during this interim period and are unable to return will have the opportunity to continue their coursework fully online.
• After careful analysis and following the most up-to-date guidelines, Tusculum is postponing or canceling all other events in which more than 10 people were expected to attend. This includes the Old Oak Festival, the Lantern Festival and the Honors Convocation. We are making every effort to reschedule events. For more information, please visit this list and return regularly for updates. With some smaller events, we might be able to develop a virtual or social media alternative.
• Individual campus tours are still available.
• As of Monday, March 16, all drop-in tutoring at the Thomas J. Garland Library has been suspended. The tutoring team is working toward moving tutoring online with the Moodle platform, and the goal is to have sessions up and running by next week.

If students need tutoring before the online system is in place, please contact the coordinator, Lisa Chiapputo, at tutoring@tusculum.edu with their student number to arrange a one-on-one session in their subject area. All tutoring requests must come through that email address, and please remember to attach any papers you would like to have edited along with your request.

• Library staff are reminding faculty members and students that virtual reference assistance is available via a chat feature, which allows the person to talk live with a member of the library staff. This service is available Monday-Thursday from 8:30 a.m.-8 p.m. and Friday from 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. by clicking on the “library chat” icon on the library’s webpage at https://garland.tusculum.edu/.

Reference service is also available by telephone at 423-636-7320 and email library@tusculum.edu during open library hours.

During this time, library staff can scan and email chapters from textbooks in the librarian or general education collection reserves to anyone who might not have access to them. Please send your specific requests to the library email address. Additionally, interlibrary loans will be limited to article requests only, which will be forwarded to your email address when received.

In-person hours of operation for the library will be posted on its web page and on both entrances to the building. For the remainder of this week, the library will be open from 8 a.m.-6 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday and 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Friday.

Beginning the week of March 22 and until further notice, the library plans to be open Sunday from 4-8 p.m., Monday-Thursday from 8 a.m.-8 p.m. and Friday from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. In addition to the normal university cleaning procedures, library staff members are taking extra precautions by disinfecting computers after each use.

Thank you for your assistance and continued good work during this period of change. If you have questions, please do not hesitate to contact Dr. Lisa Johnson, dean of students, at ljohnson@tusculum.edu or 423-636-7315 or Campus Safety at 423-636-7300, option 4.

With Pioneer Pride,

Dr. Scott Hummel
President

2:41 PM

Good afternoon, Tusculum family,

Please click the link below to view a video message from Dr. Scott Hummel, Tusculum University’s president, about the coronavirus.

8:57 PM

Dear Tusculum family,

During this week of change for Tusculum University and the rest of the country due to the coronavirus, I express my appreciation to all of you for your patience as we have deliberated the best approach for you and our institution.

I assure you we have many people working diligently to prepare for the conversion of all classes at all three locations to online teaching. We are focused on making this transition as seamless as possible for the whole Tusculum family. It is also our intention to return to face-to-face teaching as soon as it is safe to do so.

I understand the difficulties and inconveniences of this temporary change in Tusculum’s operations and appreciate all of your prayers and questions. I am certainly praying for you during this time and know that God will be our refuge and strength during this period.

After further deliberation, I have additional information to share:

• Professors will post the specifics of each course’s remote operation on Moodle. All online classes that are already scheduled will continue as normal.
• For students graduating in May, the arts-and-lecture credit requirement will be waived.
• Residential students may choose to go home if they are able to accomplish that safely without impeding their ability to fulfill their academic responsibilities. Residence halls, dining operations, academic support and other limited services will be open and available for those who stay.
• International students who are considering returning home need to consider the potential they will not be able to return to the United States in the foreseeable future.
• Faculty and staff members will continue to work from campus as usual.
• Any students who remain on campus and are participating in work-study should continue with that program.
• The cafeteria has established new hours, effective Monday, March 16.
  • Breakfast: 7:30-10 a.m.
  • Lunch: 11 a.m.-1:30 p.m.
  • Dinner: 5-7:30 p.m.
  • The cafeteria will be closed at all other times for cleaning.
• The cafeteria will provide reduced menu options in a to-go container for those who come to the facility. Students who want their food delivered must sign up by 1:30 p.m. the day before. The menu and directions for placing the order are available at dineoncampus.com/tusculum. If you have questions, you can email Jimmy Sams with Chartwells at Jimmy.Sams@compass-usa.com or call 423-636-7309.
• Registration for the summer and fall semesters will occur on schedule. Students can elect whether they want to meet with their adviser face to face, via Zoom or by phone.
• In all on-campus interactions, Tusculum encourages the practice of social distancing, in addition to other common-sense hygiene, to prevent the spread of germs. This includes
  • Avoiding large gatherings
  • Maintaining about 6 feet of distance between individuals
  • Not hugging or shaking hands
  • Avoiding unnecessary travel
• While many student activities have been canceled, the Office of Student Affairs is looking at creative ways to offer other types of enjoyable events.
• All students who live on campus must complete this online form so the Office of Student Affairs is able to determine how it can best serve the needs of each individual student.
• It is essential for students, as well as faculty and staff members, to continue monitoring their official Tusculum email accounts, the university’s website and the institution’s social media accounts for further updates.

As a reminder, the following people should not return to our three campuses after Spring Break:

• Those who believe they have been exposed to a confirmed or suspected case of coronavirus
• Those who have been on a cruise
• Those who have traveled internationally

Instead, they should self-quarantine away from campus for 14 days and immediately contact Dr. Lisa Johnson-Neas, dean of students, at ljohnson@tusculum.edu or 423-636-7315 to confirm they are not returning to campus.

Additional information about academics, residence life, on-campus dining or other campus services will be provided, as necessary.

Thank you for your attention to this important information. Please do not hesitate to reach out with any additional questions to Dr. Johnson-Neas, dean of students, at ljohnson@tusculum.edu or 423-636-7315 or Campus Safety at 423-636-7300, option 4.

With Pioneer Pride,

Dr. Scott Hummel
President

10:15 PM

Dear Tusculum family,

With multiple new factors that have come into play since our last email to you this afternoon, Tusculum University leaders have decided to convert classes at all three locations to online teaching, effective Monday, March 16.

Tusculum has learned about a confirmed case of coronavirus in Knox County. While that person is not a Tusculum family member, the university is following Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidance to take additional precautionary measures by shifting to online education.

In addition, the South Atlantic Conference, of which Tusculum is a member, has voted to cancel all athletic practices and games for the remainder of the 2019-20 academic year.

The university’s staff will work in conjunction with faculty members to make the transition to online learning happen as smoothly as possible. Your close attention to communications through Tusculum email and your Moodle course sites is critical for you to remain academically engaged through this transition. Tusculum appreciates everyone’s patience during this process.

Tusculum wants to be clear: Its three locations will not be closed, and at this time, students can continue to live in the residence halls. We are simply converting our classes to an online setting until further notice.

The following people should not return to our three campuses after Spring Break:

• Those who believe they have been exposed to a confirmed or suspected case of coronavirus
• Those who have been on a cruise
• Those who have traveled internationally

Instead, they should self-quarantine for 14 days and immediately contact Dr. Lisa Johnson-Neas, dean of students, at ljohnson@tusculum.edu or 423-636-7315 to confirm they are not returning to campus. Any student who displays symptoms of the coronavirus should seek medical attention and alert Dr. Johnson-Neas.

Additional guidelines for Tusculum are:

• Students who are not symptomatic or do not need to self-quarantine may return to campus.
• Those students who return to the Greeneville campus and are staying in their normal residence and subsequently learn they were exposed to a confirmed or suspected case must report this information immediately to Dr. Johnson-Neas. They will then be quarantined on the Greeneville campus away from other students who have not been impacted, or they may be quarantined off campus.
• Symptomatic students will not be quarantined on campus but should instead seek medical attention off campus.
• Students are expected to stay engaged in academics and courses of study.
• Tusculum will have an increased presence from its facilities team and housekeeping staff to ensure it is keeping the campus as clean as possible. Also, the university will enact a change in the cafeteria: No self-service will be permitted in areas where multiple people might touch the same item, such as handles at the salad bar. Chartwells staff will be available to assist.

In addition, faculty and staff members have the same responsibilities as students to keep the university informed. Should they be exposed to a confirmed or suspected case of coronavirus or diagnosed with the illness, they must alert their supervisor immediately and participate in quarantining requirements at their residence. If they have a Tusculum-issued laptop, we recommend that they take that computer home each day so they have a means to continue working from home.

It is extremely important to note that circumstances could change further, and Tusculum urges you to pay close attention to your email for further updates.

4:09 PM

Tusculum University leaders have monitored events pertaining to the coronavirus, and as part of our evaluation process, they have relied on guidance from experts, such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, to ensure the health and well-being of the Tusculum family. That will continue to be the case.

Given that there are no suspected or confirmed cases within the Tusculum family, the university will resume with its regular schedule of classes Monday, March 16, at the conclusion of Spring Break. Professors will continue to teach the classes in the same formats they have used since the start of the semester. In other words, nothing is changing with the schedule of classes at this time. However, all faculty members are preparing to shift to online teaching if further developments warrant.

We know some other higher education institutions are closing their campuses or altering their schedules and teaching methods. They have made those decisions based on their populations and circumstances, just as Tusculum has reviewed those items. Every institution is different. Should circumstances change at Tusculum, the university will notify students immediately.

Everyone needs to be aware of the following guidelines:

• Students who might have been exposed to a confirmed or suspected case of coronavirus must be quarantined in place and immediately notify Dr. Lisa Johnson-Neas, dean of students, at ljohnson@tusculum.edu or 423-636-7315. Those who have been exposed but have not been diagnosed and who are living on the Greeneville campus will be quarantined elsewhere on the grounds away from other students who have not been impacted.
• All other students will return to campus and resume attending classes and activities as was the case before Spring Break.
• Those students who return to the Greeneville campus and are staying in their normal residence and subsequently learn they were exposed to a confirmed or suspected case must report this information immediately to Dr. Johnson-Neas. They will then be quarantined on the Greeneville campus away from other students who have not been impacted.
• The same procedures apply to students who attend classes at our Knoxville and Morristown locations, commute to Greeneville or take online courses. Because these are commuter or online students, any quarantine they must undergo will take place at their own residence, not on the Greeneville campus.
• A quarantine means a student is confined to a specified location for 14 days, with no access to the public, to prevent further exposure. Students who are quarantined on the Greeneville campus will be assigned to a specific location and cannot leave until the 14 days expires. All food and necessities, including access to instructional materials, will be provided.
• No symptomatic students will be quarantined but will instead receive medical attention off campus.
• If classes are shifted to online, students are expected to stay engaged in academics and courses of study.
• You should notice a few other changes on the Tusculum campus. Tusculum will have an increased presence from its facilities team and housekeeping staff to ensure it is keeping the campus as clean as possible. Also, Tusculum will enact a change in the cafeteria: No self-service will be permitted in areas where multiple people might touch the same item, such as handles at the salad bar. Chartwells staff will be available to assist you.
• Faculty and staff members have the same responsibilities as students to keep the university informed. Should you be exposed to a confirmed or suspected case of coronavirus or diagnosed with the illness, you must alert your supervisor immediately and participate in quarantining requirements at your residence. If you have a Tusculum-issued laptop, the university recommends that you take that computer home with you each day so you have a means to continue your work from home should you need to self-quarantine.

Tusculum is continuing to evaluate campus and athletic events. If conditions change, the university will send additional information.

Should you have questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact Dr. Johnson-Neas or Campus Safety. You can call the Office of Student Affairs at 423-636-7315, email Dr. Johnson-Neas at ljohnson@tusculum.edu or call Campus Safety at 423-636-7300, option 4.

As you have been informed via email from Dean Anderson (see below), all clinical activities are officially suspended for two weeks so that we can closely monitor the COVID-19 pandemic.

Here are your next steps:

1. Please make sure your preceptor has your clinical evaluation to evaluate your performance.

2. Please notify your preceptor that your clinical faculty (Dr. Garrett or Mr. Hennage) will be reaching out via phone to discuss your clinical performance. (No onsite visits for now).

3. If you are exposed to the virus, please notify me immediately so that we can track any exposures.

We are working diligently to develop a plan for your clinical progression.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Dr. Wall

Susan M. Wall, DNP, FNP-BC
Tusculum University
MSN Program Diector/Assistant Professor
423-636-7431 office
swall@tusculum.edu

Greetings!

This communication pertains to your clinical activities that you are participating in.  This semester you are involved in clinical activities with the Family Nurse Practitioner Program.  Due to the evolving situation of the Coronavirus, the decision has been made to suspend all clinical activities starting immediately through March 28, 2020.  The situation of the pandemic COVID-19 will be continually monitored and we may need to further adjust the suspension of clinical activities so please continue to monitor the communication coming from the university and your program.  We are hopeful that the situation will change and we can be back in clinicals before the end of the semester but at this time that is difficult to determine.  Dr. Wall will be communicating the next steps that you will need to take for informing your clinical practice site that you are assigned to and how the clinical evaluation of your clinical performance has been up to this time.  I ask for your continued patience as the faculty are working diligently through many things to determine the best way to progress so there may be times that there is not an immediate response.

During times like we are having right now, the best thing to do is to heed the health advice that is communicated and try to stay healthy.  Please keep communication open between you and your faculty members.  Do not be silent to communication.  While you may not intend that silence would communicate a message, it does.  Silence to the faculty who are communicating to you and you are not responding means that you are seriously ill or something bad has happened.  So, please keep communication open and flowing!  We encourage you to communicate and let us know if you have questions or concerns.  Thanks!

With Pioneer Pride,

Lori Anderson, PhD, RN
Dean of Nursing and Assistant Vice-President Interprofessional Education
Professor
College of Health Sciences | School of Nursing
Tusculum University
Office: (423)636-7435 | Fax: (423)636-7439
Email: landerson@tusculum.edu

As you know, the Coronavirus is impacting many aspects of our personal and professional lives.  You are receiving multiple communications from the university and I encourage you to read them as they contain important information for you and how you need to respond.  To assist you in navigating some of the recent communication, I wanted to offer you some additional information as it pertains to your scheduled classes.  You will be receiving a separate email from me in regards to clinical.  Also some of you may decide to change plans and stay at home once you see what your options are.

1.     At this time, the University is open.  Classes will be converted to online offerings.  Please monitor your University and Moodle emails and communication for additional information as things are evolving and changing.

2.    While the University is open, you have the options to a) come to the classroom for class or b) stay at home or in your dorm room to participate.  The faculty are planning on conducting classes at the scheduled day of the week and times that your classes are scheduled.  The only thing that is changing is that class will be delivered via Zoom.  Please be on the lookout for the Zoom information from the faculty as they will communicate the connection information to you.

3.    We need to know where you are.  Please communicate with your course faculty on whether you will be participating from a distance or plan to come to class (until further directed by the university).

4.    I am currently working with the faculty on the plan for administering exams.  You will receive further communication on this once things have become more solidified.  All exams and scheduled assessments will maintain the schedule that has been outlined for your courses.  Again, if the University is open, then you have the option to test in the computer lab as you have done previously.  The option for those who are at a distance is what is evolving.  What I can share at this point is that we are looking at a remote proctoring option.  This is a self-paid service for a student to take an exam at home while a proctor observes you through a webcam and you would need to be connected to the internet.  The exams that we would be considering for this would be any course exams, final exams, and HESI exams.  Course quizzes and other types of course assessments will not utilize this service.  Costs will be kept to a minimum for you, however I wanted to make you aware that there is an associated cost with this.  I will have additional information for you on this early next week once a plan has been solidified.  I just wanted to mention this so you could make plans with whatever option you are looking at.

During times like we are having right now, the best thing to do is to heed the health advice that is communicated and try to stay healthy.  Please keep communication open between you and your faculty members.  Do not be silent to communication.  While you may not intend that silence would communicate a message, it does.  Silence to the faculty who are communicating to you and you are not responding means that you are seriously ill or something bad has happened.  So, please keep communication open and flowing!  Please feel free to let me or any of the faculty know if you should have questions or need anything.  Thanks!

With Pioneer Pride,

Dr. Anderson, PhD, RN
Dean of Nursing and Assistant Vice-President Interprofessional Education
Professor
Tusculum University
College of Health Sciences | School of Nursing
Office: (423)636-7435 | Fax: (423)636-7439
Email: landerson@tusculum.edu

Greetings!

I hope that your first week of flipping to totally online has gone well.  The faculty and I are appreciative of your patience as we continue to work through many things.  I wanted to provide you some updates since the last communication I had with you was late last week.

1. All of your classes are officially online at this time.
2. Clinical activities are currently suspended through Friday, April 10, 2020.  We are continuing to monitor and as time moves along, we will be better able to make a decision on whether or not you will be able to return to complete some clinical activities.  Until that time, the faculty have selected an alternative clinical experience for you.  The TN Board of Nursing has a regulation that 50% of your clinical activities in a course may be accomplished utilizing simulation.  While this is not the exact experience that the faculty and I wanted you to have this semester, it is the option that we have selected for you to be able to complete some of your required clinical hours this semester.  Please be on the lookout for a communication from Ms. Hicks and Dr. Anderson with specific instructions of how you will complete the rest of your clinical activities for this semester.  Each of you will have a different plan as the number of hours that you had already completed factors into the amount of simulation that you are allowed to complete.
3. The Exit HESI Exam is still scheduled to be administered.  Currently, we are waiting to hear from Elsevier on the steps that will be taken to test at home using a remote proctoring service.  We will share that information as soon as we have it.  In the meantime, please remain diligent and continue working on your remediation of your identified weak areas and continue to complete NCLEX style questions from various sources.  Research shows that the more questions students complete, the better prepared they are to take the NCLEX.
4. Please remember that you MUST complete all remediation from your first HESI Exit Exam that you took at the beginning of the semester and any Pharmacology remediation packets that you need to complete.  These must be completed by the assigned due date that you were assigned.
5. I am currently working with the external faculty member that was assigned to deliver your live NCLEX review.  The plans are currently in flux as the COVID-19 situation evolves.  I would get prepared to participate in an online Zoom-like format during the days that this was scheduled.  I will let you know definite plans once they are known.
6. NCLEX application instructions- currently, this is evolving as well.  The testing sites are currently closed until the middle of April which means that no one is able to take the exam.  This is not a concern for you at this time as you need to complete your program requirements.  I am unsure at this time if these closures will go into summer and this is out of all of our control.  I ask that you remain open and flexible through this.  All of us (your program, the Board of Nursing, your employers) are aware and we want this to be resolved quickly.  I will be working with each of you on the specifics of how to apply for testing and your license.  I am awaiting news from the Board of Nursing on how this will proceed.  At this time, there is nothing for you to do.
7. I also wanted to remind you that faculty also are available to you from a distance with office hours and appointments.  The only thing that has changed is that it is at a distance and you may need to be more planful than you are used to in the fact that you cannot just drop by the office.  We are all functioning under the procedure that communication will be answered.  If anyone is having difficulties with this, please let me know.
8. As the virus continues to spread and things continue to evolve, you need to assume that anyone (outside of your family or living situation) that you come into contact with is infected.  Please utilize good handwashing and if you are needing to come into contact with others, please maintain social distancing.

One word of encouragement I would like to give you- nurses are always resilient and rise to any occasion that they are confronted with.  Remember that you are strong and your faith will see you through this!  Please feel free to reach out to me or any of your faculty and let us know if we can assist you in any way.  Please take care and stay healthy and be safe!

With Pioneer Pride,

Dr. Anderson, PhD, RN
Dean of Nursing and Assistant Vice-President Interprofessional Education
Professor
College of Health Sciences | School of Nursing
Office: (423)636-7435 | Fax: (423)636-7439
Email: landerson@tusculum.edu

Greetings Seniors!

This communication pertains to your clinical activities that you are participating in.  This semester you are involved in your senior practicum and leadership-management hours.  Due to the evolving situation of the Coronavirus, many of our clinical partners are beginning to place restrictions on academic programs and suspending clinical activities and not allowing academic programs to participate in their institutions.  We know that it is a matter of time before this impacts the program.  The School of Nursing leadership and the faculty met this morning to discuss.  It was decided that all clinical activities would be suspended starting immediately through April 10, 2020.  So what does this mean to you- you do not show up to your assigned shifts that you were scheduled for between now and April 10th.  The clinical sites have already been communicated with and they know not to expect you.  We are hopeful that the situation will change and we can be back in clinicals before then.  Also, the situation may worsen and we may not be allowed to enter into the clinical environment for the rest of the semester.

Currently, the faculty are providing me with the number of clinical hours that you have completed in your senior practicum to date.  This is important information as that will determine the contingency plan that you would need to follow to complete your clinical requirements for the program.  Once I have this information, the faculty and I will meet and we will develop an individualized contingency plan for you that you will need to follow.  Simulation is one option that we have and we are looking into a couple of options for virtual simulation that you can complete from a distance.  This has not been solidified so there is no additional information to share with you at this point.  We will share once we have additional information.  Our intent is to see that you complete your clinical requirements in a timely fashion so that you are ready to graduate and take the NCLEX exam.  In the event that you are unable to complete all your requirements, we will be looking at the grade assignment of an “Incomplete” and will be getting you back into clinicals at the earliest possibility.  We will be able to guide you once we have each individual contingency plan outlined so please do not panic at this point.  We are monitoring everything and you are our priority to ensure that you are able to graduate.

At this time, please continue to work on your capstone projects and I would also encourage you to use this additional time to complete your HESI remediation packets, complete additional NCLEX-style questions, and study fervently for the licensure exam that you will take once you have graduated from the program.  Do not lose sight of this goal!    

During times like we are having right now, the best thing to do is to heed the health advice that is communicated and try to stay healthy.  Please keep communication open between you and your faculty members.  Do not be silent to communication.  While you may not intend that silence would communicate a message, it does.  Silence to the faculty who are communicating to you and you are not responding means that you are seriously ill or something bad has happened.  So, please keep communication open and flowing!  Please feel free to let me or any of the faculty know if you should have questions or need anything.  Thanks!

With Pioneer Pride,

Dr. Anderson, PhD, RN
Dean of Nursing and Assistant Vice-President Interprofessional Education
Professor
Tusculum University
College of Health Sciences | School of Nursing
Office: (423)636-7435 | Fax: (423)636-7439
Email: landerson@tusculum.edu

Greetings!

I hope that your first week of flipping to totally online has gone well.  The faculty and I are appreciative of your patience as we continue to work through many things.  I wanted to provide you some updates since the last communication I had with you was late last week.

1. All of your classes are officially online at this time.
2. Clinical activities are currently suspended through Friday, April 10, 2020.  We are continuing to monitor and as time moves along, we will be better able to make a decision on whether or not you will be able to return to complete some clinical activities.  Until that time, the faculty have selected an alternative clinical experience for you.  The TN Board of Nursing has a regulation that 50% of your clinical activities in a course may be accomplished utilizing simulation.  While this is not the exact experience that the faculty and I wanted you to have this semester, it is the option that we have selected for you to be able to complete your coursework this semester.  Please be on the lookout for a communication from Ms. Brown, Ms. Lawson, Ms. Montgomery, and Mr. Talley with specific instructions of how you will complete the rest of your clinical activities for this semester.
3. The faculty and I have been meeting and discussing how to best proceed with your course exams.  Course exams are high stakes assessments of essential information that you need to know and use as a nurse.  Since we are unable to utilize the testing facilities on campus, we will be implementing the use of an online proctoring service (Examity).  We have been working diligently to find the best mechanism at an affordable price.  At this time, it looks like the cost for each exam will be $6.  Financial Aid is aware that we are needing to utilize this service.  Please work with Financial Aid to determine if you have any aid available to assist you with this cost.  Please reach out to me if you have exhausted everything and are in need so I can work with you to determine how to proceed.  Please note you will need to have internet connection and a web camera in order to take the exam.  The exam schedule will be as it is posted for your course so please keep these times blocked so you can complete the exam in the timeframe that has been assigned.
4. Your course HESI Exam(s) is/are still scheduled to be administered.  Currently, we are waiting to hear from Elsevier on the steps that will be taken to test at home using a remote proctoring service.  We will share that information as soon as we have it.
5. I also wanted to remind you that faculty also are available to you from a distance with office hours and appointments.  The only thing that has changed is that it is at a distance and you may need to be more planful than you are used to in the fact that you cannot just drop by the office.  We are all functioning under the procedure that communication will be answered.  If anyone is having difficulties with this, please let me know.
6. As the virus continues to spread and things continue to evolve, you need to assume that anyone (outside of your family or living situation) that you come into contact with is infected.  Please utilize good handwashing and if you are needing to come into contact with others, please maintain social distancing.

One word of encouragement I would like to give you- nurses are always resilient and rise to any occasion that they are confronted with.  Remember that you are strong and your faith will see you through this!  Please feel free to reach out to me or any of your faculty and let us know if we can assist you in any way.  Please take care and stay healthy and be safe!

With Pioneer Pride,

Dr. Anderson, PhD, RN
Dean of Nursing and Assistant Vice-President Interprofessional Education
Professor
College of Health Sciences |School of Nursing
Office: (423)636-7435 | Fax: (423)636-7439
Email: landerson@tusculum.edu

Greetings Juniors!

This communication pertains to your clinical activities that you are participating in.  This semester you are involved in clinical activities with the courses you are taking.  Due to the evolving situation of the Coronavirus, many of our clinical partners are beginning to place restrictions on academic programs and suspending clinical activities and not allowing academic programs to participate in their institutions.  We know that it is a matter of time before this impacts the program.  The School of Nursing leadership and the faculty met this morning to discuss.  It was decided that all clinical activities would be suspended starting immediately through April 10, 2020.  So what does this mean to you- you do not show up to your scheduled clinical activities that you were scheduled for between now and April 10th.  The clinical sites have already been communicated with and they know not to expect your clinical group.  We are hopeful that the situation will change and we can be back in clinicals before then.  Also, the situation may worsen and we may not be allowed to enter into the clinical environment for the rest of the semester.

Currently, the faculty are providing me with the number of clinical hours that you have completed in your clinicals to date.  This is important information as that will determine the contingency plan that you would need to follow to complete your clinical requirements for your courses.  Once I have this information, the faculty and I will meet and we will develop an individualized contingency plan for you that you will need to follow.  Simulation is one option that we have and we are looking into a couple of options for virtual simulation that you can complete from a distance.  This has not been solidified so there is no additional information to share with you at this point.  We will share once we have additional information.  Our intent is to see that you complete your clinical requirements in a timely fashion so that you are ready to continue to the next semester.  In the event that you are unable to complete all your requirements, we will be looking at the grade assignment of an “Incomplete” and will be getting you back into clinicals at the earliest possibility.  We will be able to guide you once we have each individual contingency plan outlined so please do not panic at this point.  We are monitoring everything and you are our priority to ensure that you are able to complete course requirements.

During times like we are having right now, the best thing to do is to heed the health advice that is communicated and try to stay healthy.  Please keep communication open between you and your faculty members.  Do not be silent to communication.  While you may not intend that silence would communicate a message, it does.  Silence to the faculty who are communicating to you and you are not responding means that you are seriously ill or something bad has happened.  So, please keep communication open and flowing!  Please feel free to let me or any of the faculty know if you should have questions or need anything.  Thanks!

With Pioneer Pride,

Dr. Anderson, PhD, RN
Dean of Nursing and Assistant Vice-President Interprofessional Education
Professor
Tusculum University
College of Health Sciences | School of Nursing
Office: (423)636-7435 | Fax: (423)636-7439
Email: landerson@tusculum.edu

Greetings!

I hope that your first week of flipping to totally online has gone well.  The faculty and I are appreciative of your patience as we continue to work through many things.  I wanted to provide you some updates since the last communication I had with you was late last week.

1. All of your classes are officially online at this time.
2. Clinical activities are currently suspended through Friday, April 10, 2020.  We are continuing to monitor and as time moves along, we will be better able to make a decision on whether or not you will be able to return to complete some clinical activities.  Until that time, the faculty have selected an alternative clinical experience for you.  The TN Board of Nursing has a regulation that 50% of your clinical activities in a course may be accomplished utilizing simulation.  While this is not the exact experience that the faculty and I wanted you to have this semester, it is the option that we have selected for you to be able to complete your coursework this semester.  Please be on the lookout for a communication from Ms. Hicks with specific instructions of how you will complete the rest of your clinical activities for this semester.
3. The faculty and I have been meeting and discussing how to best proceed with your course exams.  Course exams are high stakes assessments of essential information that you need to know and use as a nurse.  Since we are unable to utilize the testing facilities on campus, we will beimplementing the use of an online proctoring service (Examity).  We have been working diligently to find the best mechanism at an affordable price.  At this time, it looks like the cost for each exam will be $6.  Financial Aid is aware that we are needing to utilize this service.  Please work with Financial Aid to determine if you have any aid available to assist you with this cost.  Please reach out to me if you have exhausted everything and are in need so I can work with you to determine how to proceed.  Please note you will need to have internet connection and a web camera in order to take the exam.  The exam schedule will be as it is posted for your course so please keep these times blocked so you can complete the exam in the timeframe that has been assigned.
4. Your course HESI Exam(s) is/are still scheduled to be administered.  Currently, we are waiting to hear from Elsevier on the steps that will be taken to test at home using a remote proctoring service.  We will share that information as soon as we have it.
5. I also wanted to remind you that faculty also are available to you from a distance with office hours and appointments.  The only thing that has changed is that it is at a distance and you may need to be more planful than you are used to in the fact that you cannot just drop by the office.  We are all functioning under the procedure that communication will be answered.  If anyone is having difficulties with this, please let me know.
6. As the virus continues to spread and things continue to evolve, you need to assume that anyone (outside of your family or living situation) that you come into contact with is infected.  Please utilize good handwashing and if you are needing to come into contact with others, please maintain social distancing.

One word of encouragement I would like to give you- nurses are always resilient and rise to any occasion that they are confronted with.  Remember that you are strong and your faith will see you through this!  Please feel free to reach out to me or any of your faculty and let us know if we can assist you in any way.  Please take care and stay healthy and be safe!

With Pioneer Pride,

Dr. Anderson, PhD, RN
Dean of Nursing and Assistant Vice-President Interprofessional Education
Professor
College of Health Sciences | School of Nursing
Office: (423)636-7435 | Fax: (423)636-7439
Email: landerson@tusculum.edu

Greetings Sophomores!

This communication pertains to your clinical activities that you are participating in.  This semester you are involved in clinical activities with the courses you are taking.  Due to the evolving situation of the Coronavirus, many of our clinical partners are beginning to place restrictions on academic programs and suspending clinical activities and not allowing academic programs to participate in their institutions.  We know that it is a matter of time before this impacts the program.  The School of Nursing leadership and the faculty met this morning to discuss.  It was decided that all clinical activities would be suspended starting immediately through April 10, 2020.  So what does this mean to you- you do not show up to your scheduled clinical activities that you were scheduled for between now and April 10^th.  The clinical sites have already been communicated with and they know not to expect your clinical group.  We are hopeful that the situation will change and we can be back in clinicals before then.  Also, the situation may worsen and we may not be allowed to enter into the clinical environment for the rest of the semester.

Currently, the faculty are providing me with the number of clinical hours that you have completed in your clinicals to date.  This is important information as that will determine the contingency plan that you would need to follow to complete your clinical requirements for your courses.  Once I have this information, the faculty and I will meet and we will develop an individualized contingency plan for you that you will need to follow.  Simulation is one option that we have and we are looking into a couple of options for virtual simulation that you can complete from a distance.  This has not been solidified so there is no additional information to share with you at this point.  We will share once we have additional information.  Our intent is to see that you complete your clinical requirements in a timely fashion so that you are ready to continue to the next semester.  In the event that you are unable to complete all your requirements, we will be looking at the grade assignment of an “Incomplete” and will be getting you back into clinicals at the earliest possibility.  We will be able to guide you once we have each individual contingency plan outlined so please do not panic at this point.  We are monitoring everything and you are our priority to ensure that you are able to complete course requirements.

During times like we are having right now, the best thing to do is to heed the health advice that is communicated and try to stay healthy.  Please keep communication open between you and your faculty members.  Do not be silent to communication.  While you may not intend that silence would communicate a message, it does.  Silence to the faculty who are communicating to you and you are not responding means that you are seriously ill or something bad has happened.  So, please keep communication open and flowing!  Please feel free to let me or any of the faculty know if you should have questions or need anything.  Thanks!

With Pioneer Pride,

Dr. Anderson, PhD, RN
Dean of Nursing and Assistant Vice-President Interprofessional Education
Professor
Tusculum University
College of Health Sciences |School of Nursing
Office: (423)636-7435 | Fax: (423)636-7439
Email: landerson@tusculum.edu