Ithaca College

Submitted on behalf of Bill Guerrero, Vice President for Finance and Administration

As announced by President Collado on May 26, a Return to Campus Task Force has been formed and is developing criteria and procedures for the beginning of on-campus instruction in October. Identifying the Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and supplies required by national, state, and local governmental regulations is a necessary early step in the planning process.

The Facilities Management and Operations subgroup and the Office of Procurement are working in collaboration with Ithaca College’s suppliers to identify and secure PPE items for campus departments. Ithaca College is committed to compliance with the New York Forward guidelines related to inventory levels of PPE.

As a result, Ithaca College departments should not purchase PPE for their faculty and staff. All PPE products and supplies will be centrally purchased, stored and distributed as necessary in order to ensure adequate stock, and competitive pricing based on volume purchases. Current plans are to acquire gloves, hand sanitizer and other key supplies prior to the scheduled opening in October. Masks and face shields for campus use are currently being produced in the Ithaca College Print Shop.

Vice Presidents and Deans will soon receive a survey asking for departmental estimates of PPE supplies needed for opening and to ensure adequate supplies for the academic year. You will therefore be hearing more about this from the leadership in your division, school or department. Once again, individual departments should not order their own PPE; however, input relative to needed items and quantities of PPE will be requested from division/school leaders to inform the centralized campus-wide ordering process.

Thank you in advance for your cooperation.  I hope that you and yours are safe during these challenging times.