bg president
From the Desk of the President

From the Desk of the President

From the Desk of the President – March 20, 2020

Dear Denmark Tech Family,

Together, as a country and as members of the Denmark Technical College Family, we are facing
times of considerable uncertainty. The COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic continues to bring fast changes to the way we live and interact with others. The unprecedented interruptions and immediate impact of this pandemic occur at a critical time for our campus as we traditionally would be preparing for the election of Miss Denmark Technical College, SGA officers, and ultimately preparing for final exams and celebrating the academic and personal accomplishments of our students as a lead up to our annual commencement.

As part of the Governor’s Executive Order, all state institutions of higher education in South Carolina have been requested to consider moving courses online. Thus, the decision to transition all instruction to remote delivery was made to uphold the safety for all and support our students as they continue their academic journey. With this in mind, we have decided that Denmark Technical College will not continue on-campus classes but will continue to deliver instruction remotely
through the remainder of the spring semester. By reducing the number of individuals on campus,

DTC continues to promote as much physical distancing as possible to help slow the spread of the virus. We are exploring the possibilities of offering some laboratory courses for those who choose to participate. Those students who need to retrieve belongings from campus residence halls will be contacted by the Vice President for Student Services within the coming days and will be provided a schedule of when they can come to the campus. No students should return to campus until they receive confirmation from the Division of Student Services.

Of course, the decision to suspend on-campus activities, coupled with the restrictions on event sizes announced by state and federal officials, has resulted in the college’s decision to postpone our May 2020 commencement. We join the other fifteen (15) technical colleges in the state as all have decided to cancel or postpone the spring commencements. Postponing commencement was a very difficult decision made with careful thought and input from the members of the President’s
Cabinet. We opted for the latter and decided to postpone our commencement ceremony. Spring graduates will receive additional information about alternate commencement plans in the coming weeks. Degrees will be conferred to students who meet graduation eligibility and will be mailed.

Graduation is one of the most important events in the lives of our students, and I look forward to celebrating their accomplishments at a future date.
Many members of our campus community have asked about the college’s plans for summer. Final decisions regarding summer classes, Summer Bridge, programs, and events will be made and
communicated soon.

I encourage you to check your college email and the college’s website daily, especially the college’s COVID-19 information page, and to follow the college social media accounts.  I have been extremely proud of the resilience demonstrated by our campus community this week.

Although we all are ready to return to campus and would much rather have our students here as well, we have embraced the concept of online learning with heightened energy and enthusiasm.

Our students and faculty are embracing new approaches to teaching and learning while our staff is adjusting to a new form of work-life as we explore telecommuting options for all non-essential employees.

Beginning Tuesday, March 24, 2020, we will begin telecommuting for all non-essential employees.  You will receive detailed instructions from a member of the President’s Cabinet in your reporting line (Executive Vice President, Vice President for Academic Affairs, Vice President for Business and Finance, Vice President for Student Services, Associate Vice President for Institutional Advancement and Development, and Associate Vice President for Workforce Development and Continuing Education).

We are preparing for a “new normal” until our Nation gets a handle on this pandemic. One of the most extraordinary characteristics of the Denmark Technical College family is our solidarity in times of crisis and need. It is that resilience and solidarity that has kept our doors open for our community for over seventy-three (73) years, and that will also have us emerge from these trying times even stronger and better than before.

Prayerfully forging onward!
Willie L. Todd, Jr., Ph.D.
President and CEO

Download PDF

Share this post