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The nine University of ������ο��Ƶ member institutions are planning for a return to face-to-face instruction this fall. Institutions are designing plans specific to their individual communities that prioritize the health and safety of students, faculty and staff and the universities’ educational mission.

“Throughout this event our member institutions have prioritized safety and learning. Those will remain our chief considerations as we begin the process of re-populating our campuses,” ������ο��Ƶ System President and CEO Jim Henderson said. “The university experience is more than just attending class and we are optimistic, with the right safeguards in place and following the guidance of health experts, that we will be able to safely return to campus in August.”

Last month ������ο��Ƶ System Board Chair Mark Romero appointed an ad hoc committee on post-pandemic operations who will meet later this month to discuss returning to campus and review System-level guidelines to assist universities in transitioning to more normal operations.

“Our universities have been in lock-step through the interruptions we experienced the past couple of months,” Henderson said. “This systemic coordination is beneficial to students, faculty, staff and the state as a whole.”

The System’s guidelines will address the re-populating of campuses based on external and internal conditions including segmenting return by waves; testing requirements; increased hygiene; communication practices; and distancing  protocols.