When asked why he volunteers as a faculty peer mentor helping colleagues to transition and adjust to virtual modes of instruction, Associate Professor David Zhu has a simple answer.

“Helping others is rewarding. Period,” he said. “As a member of society and this community, it is my responsibility, and my great pleasure, to offer my hands to those who need them.”

Stanislaus State is now one of about 40 universities in the nation and is the first in the West Coast to create an Alpha Alpha Alpha chapter. The honor society — which Stan State students prefer to call Tri-Alpha because its full name is a tongue-twister — is special because it supports the academic achievement of first-generation college students.

From the classroom to living rooms, the move to distance education has changed the learning environment for Stan State students. While today’s students are often technologically savvy and comfortable with online communication, it's still been a challenging transition for many. The Office of Information Technology and Office of Academic Technology have spearheaded the campuswide effort to make the shift as smooth as possible.

By late February, Stanislaus State’s Kinesiology Department had 28 health promotion students placed in internships in Stanislaus, Merced and San Joaquin counties. All seniors ready to graduate in May, the interns were gaining valuable experience in government offices, schools and nonprofit organizations while they worked on projects addressing childhood obesity, homelessness and other health issues.

​While face-to-face advising is not possible with social distancing and stay-at-home orders in place, the Academic Success Center is still available remotely. Students are encouraged to utilize general advising online and over the phone.

The simple process requires going to the Academic Success Center webpage and choosing the Online Academic Advising option. Appointments are available from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday through Friday, and students may choose which advisor they would like to meet with via Zoom or phone call.

Daisy Ramirez Meza earned a health science degree at Stan State with a concentration in leadership and administration.

She’s putting those skills to use, not in a medical facility but on the Stan State campus as the Health Careers Navigator in the School of Nursing, where she’s ushering through the latest cohort of RNs working to complete their bachelor’s degrees.

When Aurora Ceja graduated from Sierra High School in Manteca, she decided to put her college plans on hold because her mother was pregnant, and she wanted to help her mom with her new baby brother.

But Ceja always loved learning and enrolled at Stanislaus State, starting classes a year after her high school peers. Now, the senior sociology major is planning to extend her education, having become a member of the latest cohort of McNair Scholars.

Responding with the efficiency and calmness one expects of the students it produces, Stan State’s School of Nursing wasted no time in converting its coursework to alternative modalities in the face of the COVID-19 outbreak.

The health crisis might have left students, particularly the 30 scheduled to graduate in May, scrambling to complete their clinical work. The State of California requires nursing students perform 75 percent of that clinical work in person, and with six weeks remaining in the semester, students had 50 to 70 hours of work to complete.

Stan State students will return from Spring Break to all virtual/remote instruction and support services.

With a strong emphasis on health and safety while promoting social distancing measures, the University priority has been transitioning all courses to virtual and remote learning to allow students to continue making progress toward their degrees. Faculty took advantage of the Spring Break and two additional days to prepare for the transition.