Stillman Fall 2020 Updates
By Fiona Liu
Stillman News Writer
The coronavirus has left universities all over the world adapting to new ways of learning and maximizing the available resources to students on and off campus, heavily relying on technology. Universities planned to return to campus in the fall, but the surge of cases in different parts of the United States has left many universities sending students back within a few weeks of opening doors for students. These students are coming from all fifty states, some from higher risks areas than others. Colleges require those who return to get tested for the safety of all faculty and students. Universities have taken a large hit, both public and private. Seton Hall is a private Catholic institution that thrives off of the number of students enrolled in the semester. To keep students from taking a semester off or withdrawing their admission, Seton Hall has decided to reopen doors by taking extra precautions. Students and faculty were all tested, and the number of positive cases has been in the single digits thanks to the careful layout plans Seton Hall had achieved.
The Stillman School of Business and other parts of the university are offering the hybrid plan for students who wish to attend in-person sessions, along with the option for students to take classes remotely for personal reasons. Back in July, the university sent out a survey to its undergraduate and graduate students for their feedback about their thoughts on returning. From the responses, the university decided to allow students who wished to come back to do so and gave the option for those to stay home as they pleased. Instruction started August 24th and will continue until Thanksgiving break. Students are instructed to take finals at home and return late January. The faculty of Stillman have prepared for the fall by mapping out lesson plans specific to students and helping students out through scheduled calls on platforms like Zoom and Microsoft Teams.
In addition to classroom help, the business school has been successful in providing networking events online, as well. The 2020 virtual career fair allowed students to meet and network with professionals for internships and future employment opportunities. Companies including KMPG, EY, PWC, Prudential, JP Morgan, and many others joined the virtual effort to recruit from Stillman. In addition to the successful networking events, clubs across campus have made it the new normal to meet virtually and keep students engaged that way. The new normal is daunting, but Stillman has done their best to make sure students are given the same opportunities as if they were in person for the semester. Pirate Nation will always be prepared and provide the best resources for its students like it always has been able to, even amidst a global pandemic.
Contact Fiona at fiona.liu@student.shu.edu