NPCollege COVID-19 CAMPUS UPDATE
COVID-19 Information Resources, HEERF
Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund Report
Emergency Financial Aid Grants to Student
Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund Report
Quarterly Budget and Expenditure Reporting
• Quarter Ending March 31, 2022
• Quarter Ending December 30, 2021
• Quarter Ending June 30, 2021
• Quarter Ending March 31, 2021
• Quarter Ending December 31, 2020
• Quarter Ending September 30, 2020
COVID-19 Information Resources
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html
California Department of Health (CDPH)
https://www.cdph.ca.gov/ncov2019.aspx
Los Angeles County Public Health
http://publichealth.lacounty.gov/Coronavirus/
Orange County Public Health Services
https://occovid19.ochealthinfo.com/
Ventura County Health Care Agency
http://www.vchca.org/agency-divisions/public-health
COLLEGE STATUS UPDATES:
August 14, 2020:
MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT / CEO
Dear NPCollege Community,
Thank you for your understanding, flexibility, and resilience as we make progress toward reopening. In our recent directors and staff meetings, we previewed how we could operate in the current pandemic era, where a surge in COVID-19 cases is occurring in Los Angeles with record numbers in California and fluctuating numbers across the country. Our students, parents, and community members are finalizing impactful decisions amid uncertainty, and I recognize your need for more information. This fall will be pretty much the same as it has been the last few months: Our lectures and exams will be primarily conducted remotely for many students, and some lab sessions will be offered on campus.
Our decisions and timelines continue to depend on data and guidelines not fully available to us in a context where some factors remain unknown. Public health guidelines for higher education are slow in coming and anticipated safety protocols are changing rapidly: California and Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (LACDPH) will restrict our on-campus activities. Recently, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced statewide re-closures that roll back California's reopening progress. Also, the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD), the nation's second-largest school district with over 600,000 students, announced they were moving online this fall. Los Angeles is considering re-implementing stay-at-home orders based on increased virus spread risks. I am confident that, amidst these changes, we can provide our consistent curriculum delivery while maintaining some in-person instruction. The well-being of our students, faculty, and staff is our top priority.
Keeping You Informed and Engaged
As we continue adjusting to the ever-changing circumstances, our reopening plans will be announced this fall 2020. We will also keep you informed about schedules, advisories, and more as appropriate. See Hybrid/Blended On-Campus and Remote Delivery statement below.
Delivering Our Signature Education
The teaching and educational experience that NPCollege delivers is exceptional, admitting no low-cost substitute, whether in person or remotely. An NPCollege education is unmatched: Our faculty and campus administration continue to keep our students as their highest priority. Our esteemed faculty continue to provide remote instruction, advising, and tutoring. Their creativity—and their tireless efforts to provide a rich, academically excellent, intellectually rigorous curriculum remote and in-person—are why an NPCollege education is in higher demand than ever. Despite the pandemic's disruption, our students have not lost momentum, and they continue making progress in their diploma and degree programs. Student evaluations of our remote courses have been on par with evaluations of face-to-face courses, and faculty report that student academic engagement and performance in their remote courses have been outstanding. We will continue to provide student-centered support services, lab activities, and career and professional development opportunities.
Financial Assistance for Our Students and Families Over the past several months, students and parents have approached us asking for additional help amid challenging financial circumstances. We have read your letters, we have seen your social media posts, and we hear you. Recognizing the increased financial pressures on our students and their families during this COVID-19 pandemic, last May we used the U.S. Department of Education emergency grants for students impacted by Coronavirus and authorized in the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act ("CARES Act"). The Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF) has been used to provide emergency financial aid grants directly to some of our students that are enrolled in a Title IV Financial Aid qualified program.
From May 22nd through June 10th, NPCollege mailed HEERF grant funds to those qualified students who submitted a request for relief. Future grant funding is under consideration at this time and announcements will be made this fall.
The increased assistance and remote access we are providing are only possible because of the extraordinary measures we are taking with budget reductions, employee furloughs, and other sacrifices made by faculty, staff, and administrators working around-the-clock to support our students through this pandemic.
Academics and Technology
NPCollege's immediate academic response in the spring to the Stay-at-Home order required faculty to shift urgently to fully-remote instruction. Since then, our faculty have been working tirelessly to design meaningful remote courses and experiences that challenge our students and support students' academic ambitions through rich learning environments. We are committed to delivering exemplary, engaging, and student-centered experiences regardless of instructional mode—face-to-face, remote, or in hybrid/blended combinations. Faculty members across all schools and colleges are collaborating and sharing resources to ensure our students' intellectual fulfillment and academic success.
• Instruction will be primarily, and for most students exclusively, delivered remotely until hybrid/blended on-campus in-person and remote delivery is implemented sometime this fall.
• Support for any of your technology issues or questions, please contact Charles Mugrdechian, Director of Operations at cmugrdechian@npcollege.edu
Hybrid/Blended On-Campus and Remote Delivery On August 7, 2020, the California Department of Public Health and Cal/OSHA released additional relevant guidance for institutions of higher education including guidelines and considerations intended to help Institutions of Higher Education (IHE) and their communities plan and prepare to resume in-person instruction.
Implementation of this guidance as part of a phased reopening will depend on local conditions including epidemiologic trends (such as new COVID-19 case and hospitalization rates consistently stable or decreasing over at least 14 days), availability of IHE and community testing resources, and adequate IHE preparedness and public health capacity to respond to cases and outbreak investigations. All decisions about following this guidance will be made in collaboration with local public health officials and other authorities.
Infection Behavior Control
Whether on campus or off:
• Each of us plays an instrumental role to ensure that our entire community remains healthy. We will protect ourselves and we will protect each other. We will hold each other accountable for Infection Behavior Control.
• We will adapt to new ways of teaching, learning, studying, working, and living because the NPCollege experience is worth the effort.
• Effective immediately, all students, faculty, staff, contractors, and visitors who are approved for campus access must comply with daily health screenings before entering the campus.
You, our students, are at the heart of everything we do and we support your success and intellectual, creative, and personal growth be on-campus or remotely. I am indebted to each of you for your patience, creativity, and engagement as we continue to adapt to these changes and overcome these once-in-a-lifetime challenges while remaining dedicated to the distinctive NPColleg educational experience that fosters our pride. So much of who we become in life is shaped by where we go to school. I am honored that you chose NPCollege.
We will keep you informed with further updates.
With gratitude,
David Maddahi
President/CEO
May 15, 2020:
NPCollege Students Facing Financial Impacts of
COVID-19 May Apply For Emergency Funds
National Polytechnic College (NPCollege) has received $84,226 in Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act stimulus funding that the campus has set aside for emergency grants for students facing financial hardship as a result of COVID-19.
Depending on their unique circumstances, students who are currently enrolled may be eligible for these emergency grants. These federal funds are being made available right now to help our students weather these difficult times.
Students who qualify for the CARES Act grants may use the funds to pay for food, housing, course materials, coronavirus-related medical expenses, child care, and other educational expenses. The grants must be paid to students directly, and the institution may not apply the funds to students' tuition bills, according to the federal legislation.
NPCollege has received funds in Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund stimulus dollars through the federal CARES Act to support the college's ongoing academic missions during the pandemic. The campus is awaiting further guidance from the U.S. Department of Education on when and how it will receive the remaining stimulus funding, but college administrators expect it will be available to cover institutional costs associated with significant changes to the delivery of instruction due to the coronavirus.
April 13, 2020:
• Hemodialysis class originally scheduled to begin April 19, 2020, has been moved to MAY 17, 2020, as a result of the "Safer at Home" order extension until May 15, 2020. Applicants for this session will be notified of their orientation dates in advance to allow timely planning to attend..
March 31, 2020:
• ADMISSIONS office has moved to Virtual Campus Tours and web-based admissions interviews. Applicants may schedule a meeting through the online calendar or calling the office directly.
March 19, 2020:
• On-Campus classes have been suspended and moved to a Blended Curriculum Delivery System. Clinical externship rotations remain unchanged until further notice.
• HEMODIALYSIS and all other Weekend classes have been CANCELLED until further notice.
• We have not received any notification of any student or staff member being diagnosed with COVID-19 infections.
• College campus is open to active students ONLY in need of lab practice Monday-Friday, 8:00am to 4:00pm. The campus is now closed to visitors.
To: All NPCollege Staff Members
From: David Maddahi, NPCollege CEO
Subject: COVID-19 Coronavirus Update
Dear student and staff member:
Your health and safety is always priority and keeping you informed about COVID-19 virus in this uncertain times it becomes helpful. We are closely monitoring this information through official agencies like CDC (Centers for Disease Control, WHO (World Health Organization, LACHA (Los Angeles County Health Agency), CDPH (California Department of Public Health, ACCSC (Accrediting Commission of Schools and Career Colleges, and USDOE (Unites States Department of Education. Until today, all the information we have received from authorities mainly focus on preparedness and prevention.
Although we have no reason to believe any NPCollege student or staff member has contracted or has been exposed to the virus, we want to make sure you have valuable and accurate information about COVID-19's exposure risks, and preventative actions.
Preventive cleaning measures at NPCollege:
• Besides the regular daily cleaning, all contact surfaces and objects frequently touched by students and staff are being cleaned daily with disinfectants and sanitizing wipes following the recommended local and state guidelines from CDC, CDPH, and other agencies.
• At the end of the day, all classrooms will be sprayed with disinfectant before the school is closed.
• "Wash your hands" reminder flyers will be posted very visibly at different strategic points in the school.
• Trash receptacles are emptied multiple times a day.
Emergency Announcements:
• STUDENT or STAFF MEMBER DIAGNOSED CASES: In the case of a potential or confirmed COVID-19 infection of a student or staff member, all students and staff will be notified immediately by email and text message about procedures that will be implemented and instructions to follow.
• CONFIDENTIALITY: We want to reassure you that confidentiality of information will be highly observed. We are asking you to notify immediately to the college (coordinators for the students, and supervisors for staff members) of any findings about your health status or a household member' status related to COVID -19. We will provide you individually with the procedures to follow.
• CANCELLATION OF CLASSES or COLLEGE CLOSURE: Students and staff members will be immediately notified of this decision and the procedures to follow for class assignments and staff assigned work duties from home.
Below you will find comprehensive information from different official agencies containing crucial information about COVID-19. Please practice good health hygiene and follow the guidance of your local health agencies. Please keep yourself informed and share precaution information with other persons in your community. We hope you find this information helpful.
If you have any questions or concerns please contact us:(562) 206-0262
