A Community Hardwired to Care

This information is archived as of May 26, 2020, and is saved here for reference. See latest health information.

April 6, 2020

Dear Central family,

The world shifted pretty quickly — in fact, multiple times — in the past month.

So did you.

This month we have been heartbroken, inspired and encouraged — sometimes simultaneously. And yet you all have buckled down to find and build the best educational solutions possible as we navigate this unprecedented disruption created by the coronavirus.

I applaud each of you for how you have come together while being apart during our first full week of remote education.

In under two weeks you prepared for remote learning and other important Central College traditions. Whether you coordinated and participated in internship workshops via Zoom, helped find ways to socialize from afar, began studying remotely or successfully offered and took tests on Blackboard, you all have ripped up your old roadmaps and found new paths to succeed in learning and supporting each other.

Now that most students have moved out of the residence halls, we are diligently processing the room and board credit information for each student. In mid-April students will receive an email with updated account balance information and the amount of refund if applicable along with detailed options to process your account balance.

While these times are uncertain, we continue to celebrate all the doors you are opening:

Hoo-Rah Day

Tuesday, April 7, we will host our annual Hoo-Rah Day. Please join the fun on social media. This day always has been a day to celebrate Central, share the college’s pride with the world and support students.

This year we’ve included a new way for the Central family around the world to help students experiencing extreme hardship during the pandemic. We established the Central Cares Fund to alleviate some of the anxiety students may be experiencing and minimize disruptions to their academic experience at Central. Soon we will share details about how students may apply for funding and support from this fund.

Students, I hope you know Central is here for you, no matter what happens.

Remote Learning

We also have been committed to each other in our remote classrooms and meetings. Information Technology Services shares that between Monday, March 30, and Friday, April 3, the college community has participated in 1,585 Zoom classroom settings or meetings for a total of about 351,000 minutes. On Blackboard, we’ve averaged almost 37,000 page views per day — compared to 17,490 total page views the first week of fall semester. In addition, the Central family has used Panopto for 81 pre-recorded presentations/lectures this week — compared to nine the first week of the fall semester.

This data is incredible and shows me how dedicated you all are to keeping connections open for a future filled with relationships you can lean into time and time again.

Class of 2024

We haven’t just focused on our current community, either. During this month of profound adaptation, we also have come together for future Central students:

Our Class of 2024 continues to grow. As of today, 216 first-year and six transfer students have submitted deposits to enroll this fall, placing us on target for where we would expect to be in a year without the coronavirus. Our admission team continues to work diligently with faculty and coaches to keep prospective students and their families connected to and interested in the college.

The team began offering virtual visit days and one-on-one visits with students and families this week. This has been wildly successful with around 100 participants registered for individual, financial aid, baseball and wresting virtual visits within just days of starting this offering.

There is no script for this moment we are experiencing and the whirlwind of emotions and challenges it has created. Yet there is one underlying theme at Central. Community. Please continue to share and support each other. Raise your hand if you have questions or a new idea to navigate the coronavirus storm. Be as innovative and hopeful as you can. Study hard. Find moments of joy and share those moments with your Central family. And wash those hands.

Together we seek to be supportive of each other. Student support services, human resources and employee health services also are available to meet your needs and for you to access.

You have demonstrated this month we are a community hardwired to care. What I have learned is that whether we are together in Pella or temporarily scattered to help flatten the curve, we are a community connecting with each other wherever we are.

Mark L. Putnam
President, Central College