To protect the health and safety of its campus community, College of the Canyons is converting its in-person college services to remote delivery, a process expected to be completed by Friday.

The college plans to operate remotely until April 13, but will continue to monitor developments and provide updates as new information becomes available.

Student Services offices, which were closed on Monday and Tuesday, will not resume in-person services and are currently transitioning to online delivery, which will be completed by March 20. Students will be notified about the services that are available and how they can access them.

All other campus offices will be closed to the public effective immediately, and will remain closed with services moved online to the extent possible. A small staff of essential college personnel will remain on campus to maintain basic day-to-day operations and further respond to the COVID-19 crisis as it unfolds.

“What I have seen these past weeks is truly inspiring,” said College of the Canyons Chancellor Dr. Dianne G. Van Hook. “In the face of continued uncertainty and adversity, our college community continues to meet the challenges and hourly changes we face with the determination, collegiality and professionalism that characterizes COC and its five-decade legacy of service to our community.”

In-person instruction remains suspended this week while instructors transition courses to remote delivery formats no later than March 23. Classes are expected to continue in this format for the remainder of the semester, including late-start classes.

Efforts are under way to provide students with additional technology along with information about free Internet options to facilitate their remote learning. The Online Education website at www.canyons.edu/onlinestudent includes instructions for students on using a variety of remote learning tools. Training to support faculty teaching remotely will continue indefinitely online. The Teaching and Learning Center (TLC) is also offering online tutoring services to students.

These moves are in keeping with a recent email directive shared with community college CEOs by Eloy Ortiz Oakley, Chancellor of the California Community Colleges, which stated in part “the governor has specifically asked that we do everything within our means to help students complete their educational goals.”

“I appreciate all of the work that you are doing to move all in-person instruction to remote learning platforms. We recognize that this is not easy and we are working to provide you as much support as possible,” added Chancellor Oakley. “It is critical to student success, the local and state workforce and the health of our system, that we do everything possible to maintain the continuity of instruction, keep students enrolled and provide them the means necessary to succeed.”

Chancellor Van Hook shared similar sentiments in a recent message sent to the college’s staff.

“I want to recognize the extraordinary efforts of our faculty to quickly move their classes to remote learning,” said Dr. Van Hook. “This work would also not be possible without the support of classified staff, and I want to highlight their contributions as well.  It is clear everyone involved in this effort is motivated by a shared commitment to serving our students.”

On March 13, the first case of coronavirus was detected in the Santa Clarita Valley when local health officials confirmed a positive test result. As of March 18, there are three confirmed cases of the virus in the valley.

In compliance with the state’s ban on large gatherings, the college also canceled many large gatherings scheduled for March and April.

College of the Canyons will continue to follow the direction of the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, the California Department of Public Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Ed. Note: The above information was provided to KHTS by College of the Canyons.

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