The Department of Design urges all members of its community—our students, faculty and staff—to be safe during this challenging time. Although we have now dispersed to our respective homes, we are all still working toward our common goal of delivering a high-quality design education together. 100% of our courses are now online and our instructors will be ready to start teaching again on Monday, March 23^rd. Students, please visit this web site before your classes start to make sure you are ready to go online with us: https://keeplearning.osu.edu/

As we explore the best methods for returning to learning, let’s not forget two key lessons of design: the value of empathy and communication. This is not an easy time for any of us, and for some students, it may be a time of real difficulty. If you are a student experiencing a financial shortfall or a housing challenge, please reach out to Student Advocacy for help applying for emergency funds at https://advocacy.osu.edu/student-emergency-fund/. If you are feeling anxious at this time, the university’s mental health resources are still available to you and we urge you to use them. This web page provides some useful approaches to being healthy at this time: https://wellness.osu.edu/story/covid-19-students. And please remember to stay in touch with your classmates and teachers! Let’s use social media and our storytelling skills to share ideas with each other as we adapt to new ways of working and learning… We would love to feature your good design ideas for making the most of your time in isolation! How are you using design thinking to meet the challenges that social distancing, online learning, and other new life conditions present? Let us hear from you!

Stay safe and be well,

Dr. Mary Anne Beecher, Chair

Department of Design