Dear Graduate Students and Postdoctoral Scholars,

Summer has officially arrived, and I hope it brings opportunities to be outside and enjoy time to connect with family and friends, remotely or appropriately socially distanced. In the last few months, we've experienced an unprecedented pandemic and devastating examples of the racial injustice and police violence toward Black people that persist in this country. I want to thank you again for your support of each other and care for your communities during this incredibly challenging time.

Today I’d like to alert you to recent university announcements and share how we — my colleagues in VPGE and the Office of Postdoctoral Affairs (OPA) and I — and our campus partners are preparing for the year ahead.

Supporting our Black Community

I hope you saw President Tessier-Lavigne's exciting message about advancing racial justice on Tuesday. VPGE and OPA will be part of many of the initiatives he describes, and we look forward to hearing your ideas and experiences through several listening sessions to be scheduled later this summer. A few weeks ago, VPGE and OPA released a statement of support for our Black students, postdoctoral scholars, faculty, and staff in response to the horrific police violence and racial injustice amplified over the last month. This summer we're taking immediate action to educate ourselves, listen to Black students and postdocs, and develop future programs and opportunities, including the university's IDEAL initiative and new initiatives announced this week. In addition, on June 10 President Tessier-Lavigne announced the formation of a new Community Board on Public Safety in response to feedback about ways to make the university a more inclusive environment.

Supporting our International Community

I recognize that much uncertainty persists for those of you currently on or seeking visas due to the pandemic and a recent Executive Order, primarily affecting new HI-B visa seekers. The Bechtel International Center has hosted multiple Town Halls over the last two weeks (recordings available here) and continues to respond to individual questions as quickly as possible. In addition, a working group that includes Shalini Bhutani, Bechtel's executive director, and John Boothroyd, VPGE associate vice provost and professor in Microbiology & Immunology, is advising university leadership on issues our international students and scholars are facing due to the pandemic and the uncertain political environment. Bechtel, VPGE, and OPA will keep you and your faculty advisors and mentors informed as we know more.

Returning to Research

Our return to research on campus is progressing steadily and safely; Stage 2 began on June 22. Following the Research Recovery Town Hall Kam Moler, vice provost and dean of research, and I held on June 9, we’ve posted Research Recovery FAQs in response your excellent questions. I also hope you’re all aware of the Cardinal Recovery website, which includes Research Recovery, with information contributed to by the Research Continuity committee Kam and I are co-chairing. The committee includes postdoc and grad student representatives on each of the sub-teams; these representatives' comments on the FAQs were extremely helpful. You can submit other questions not answered in these FAQs here.

Although research on campus is ramping back up, I know that many of you who are engaged in research beyond campus, in communities and locations around the world, still face major disruptions to your plans due to the pandemic. I wish I could reassure you that unrestricted travel and in-person interactions will be allowed soon. Unfortunately, in just the last few weeks, we’ve come to accept that the pandemic's disruptions to our lives will not end soon. Given the virus’s unpredictability, you may want to discuss with your advisors or mentors ways you could adapt your work to our new reality over the next year or so.

Preparing for Next Year

You may have seen the message from Provost Drell this week describing plans to invite undergraduates to campus next year, each class for two in-person quarters. While these plans may not affect you directly, you should know that the majority of undergraduate and graduate classes will be offered remotely, due to social distancing and safety requirements and limited classroom spaces with sufficient room to meet these requirements. In addition, plans for other campus in-person academic and social activities will be informed by local public health guidelines, and likely will be severely limited. Please check with faculty and staff in your School, department or program about their preparations for next year and what you might expect as you continue your graduate studies and postdoctoral training.

The current 14-day self-isolation requirement for those returning to campus may be continued or modified, depending on infection outbreaks, and other health and safety measures may be implemented as campus activity increases. We know this uncertain situation is challenging as you try to plan your lives over the next few months. Graduate students planning to return to campus housing from out of state with questions or concerns about self-isolation should contact the Graduate Life Office. Questions about campus housing should be sent via a Service Now ticket so they can be effectively directed to the appropriate person for response.

Finally, the dedicated VPGE and OPA staff are using the summer to plan programs to enrich your time at Stanford and to help you prepare for life beyond. The Stanford Graduate Summer Institute — free, immersive, week-long courses running Aug 31-Sept. 4 — is accepting applications from graduate students and postdocs. Courses include: Diversity and Inclusion in STEMM (new); Jumpstart Your Academic Job Search; Designing the Professional; Ethics & the Academy; and more. The Round 3 deadline is Sunday, July 19, though applications are welcomed after that for courses that remain open.

We look forward to collaborating with many campus partners next year, including supporting the important work of the Stanford University Postdoctoral Association (SURPAS) and the Graduate Student Council (GSC).

I know you have questions and ideas. As always, we look forward to hearing from you via this webform and will offer other ways to engage in discussion later in the summer.

With best wishes for a restorative summer,
Stacey

Stacey F. Bent
Vice Provost for Graduate Education and Postdoctoral Affairs
Jagdeep and Roshni Singh Professor in the School of Engineering
Professor of Chemical Engineering
Professor, by courtesy, of Materials Science & Engineering, Electrical Engineering, and Chemistry