President Iuliano informs the community about plans for in-person residential instruction and campus operations in Fall 2021.
Dear Members of the Gettysburg College Community,
I am pleased to announce that Gettysburg College plans to welcome all students back to campus for the Fall 2021 semester. This is exciting news for all of us, especially our Gettysburg students and families.
Based on current forecasts on the continued administration and effectiveness of the vaccines, we expect to provide a primarily in-person residential learning experience, as has long been customary given our history and mission. This includes face-to-face teaching and in-person classes, labs, and research opportunities. Likewise, we are confident that many other defining characteristics of our Gettysburg education will be in person this fall, such as our Orientation program, co-curricular and extracurricular offerings, campus traditions, music and theatre performances, athletic competition in alignment with Centennial Conference guidelines, and much more.
The fall semester will officially kick off with Orientation for our incoming first-year class, beginning on Wednesday, August 25, to Saturday, August 28. The four days will feature several marquee campus events, including Move-In Day, Convocation, GIV Day, and, of course, Gettysburg’s iconic First-Year Walk. Fall classes will start on Monday, August 30.
The ability to return together in more normal circumstances is certainly welcome news after all of the disruption caused by the pandemic over the past year. Still, it is important to underscore that we are prepared to thoughtfully adapt our planning if the pandemic or government guidelines necessitate it. Indeed, the health and safety of our students, and the entire Gettysburg College community, will continue to be our top priority during the 2021-22 academic year.
While we fully anticipate our fall semester to be more traditional in nature, it is possible that life on campus will not exactly return to our pre-pandemic normal—at least not in the near term. The College is actively exploring what health and safety protocols may need to remain in effect this fall, and how the availability of the vaccine for students, faculty, and staff may influence these decisions.
We will share more updates with you regarding our planning for the Fall 2021 semester in the months ahead.
Thank you for the tremendous grit, resilience, and flexibility you embodied throughout this past academic year. I am thrilled at the promise of what this fall will entail, and I look forward to all that we will accomplish together next year.
Sincerely,
Bob Iuliano
President