After conducting the majority of the spring semester remotely amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Gettysburg College announced today its plans to resume its residential learning program and welcome faculty, students, and staff back to campus for the upcoming fall semester. Classes will resume Aug. 17.
The announcement comes after Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf declared that Adams County, where the College’s 200-acre campus is located, would transition on June 12 to the “green” reopening phase, permitting in-person instruction to commence. Having closely monitored federal and state guidelines throughout the closure, and consulted with public health experts to develop a reopening strategy, the College is poised to implement its plans.
Reopening plans include adjustments to the academic calendar, housing, dining, and other aspects of campus life in accordance with guidance from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the Centers for Disease Control.
In a communication to the campus community, President Bob Iuliano stated:
“The very economic, cultural, and social issues presented by the pandemic help underscore why we believe it is essential for students to acquire the skills to make sense of an increasingly complex world and to evaluate their place in it. Quite simply, being together provides students the greatest opportunity to engage in curricular and co-curricular interactions that will amplify their learning and understanding and help develop those skills.”
Iuliano concluded: “Any return to our residential program will come with its share of challenges, and we will likely experience some bumps along the way. It will be new. It will be different. It will be memorable. But as a community, we are better together, and I know we will rally as Gettysburgians—just as we always do—and continue to do great work in the year ahead.”
Gettysburg College will continue to monitor the evolving pandemic, plan for and adapt to changing circumstances, and remains steadfast in its commitment to prioritizing the health and well-being of those on campus and within its community. More details are available at www.gettysburg.edu/opening.
by Anya Hanna
Posted: 06/22/20
