0920_September Comstock's Magazine September 2020 | Page 27

How can the university best prepare
students for the modern workforce,
given today’s challenges?
The most important thing educators
can do in 2020 is give young people the
tools to succeed. The most important
tools are not necessarily tangible things,
but they are things like adaptability …
(and) creativity. … And then this notion
of resilience and perseverance. … Our
most successful graduates will be the
ones who … want to adapt and who get
excited about trying new things and
using their creativity to solve new problems
and new challenges.
Sena Christian is managing editor of
Comstock’s. Online at senachristian.com
and on Twitter @SenaCChristian.
Remote Learning Continues
In July, University of the Pacific announced plans to go to nearly all remote
teaching and learning for the fall. In his public statement July 17, President
Christopher Callahan said, “Our plans to return to our campuses have always
been predicated on the state of COVID-19 as we got closer to the start of the
academic year. Unfortunately, our regions’ flat and comparatively low rates
of COVID-19 cases experienced through the spring have rapidly accelerated
over the past month. Therefore, we have determined that it would be unwise
to reopen our campuses as we had hoped and planned. While disappointing
to many of us — and certainly not the semester we anticipated — the health
and safety of our students, faculty and staff must and will always take
precedence.”
The university is waiving all course fees for the fall semester. These fees
are for specific courses; for example, fees for labs in science courses. Students
must still pay base tuition, which is $50,370. UOP has created a COVID-19
scholarship program for eligible undergraduates to receive $1,450 a year for
up to four years. Additionally, according to Callahan’s statement, “for students
who need assistance in connecting remotely for their Pacific classes, funds will
be available to help subsidize personal technology needs.”
Discover Jesuit
October is Open House month
Register today!
JesuitHighSchool.org
A Foundation for Life…today and always! Serving the Sacramento region since 1963.
September 2020 | comstocksmag.com 27