Area universities planning for fall classes
Cal U Old Main
Holly Tonini/Observer-Reporter
Old Main at California University of Pennsylvania
Waynesburg University is planning to bring students back for in-person classes in the fall.
Observer-Reporter
Washington & Jefferson College will hold its commencement at 10 a.m. Saturday at the James Rose Family recreation Center.
Two area universities are planning for students to return to in-person classes in the fall while a third is taking a wait-and-see approach.
California University of Pennsylvania President Geraldine Jones and Waynesburg President Douglas G. Lee announced Friday that their respective schools would reopen their campuses in the fall while Washington & Jefferson College President John C. Knapp said the decision will be made in the coming weeks.
“We will continue to monitor developments in public health with advice from scientific experts, policymakers, and our colleagues at many other colleges and universities across the region and nation,” Knapp said in an emailed statement. “Though we are eager to resume on-campus operations this fall, the safety of our campus community is paramount as we move carefully toward a final decision in the weeks ahead. Once a determination is made, all of our plans will be informed by the realities of the public health situation.”
Jones said a task force has been established to determine what enhanced health and safety measures will be implemented for in-person classes to resume, but said students should “cautiously but confidently” prepare to return to campus in the fall.
“Let me be clear: Nothing is more important than the well-being of our students, faculty and staff. Our university is well-prepared to continue remote operations should the pandemic rebound,” Jones said. “However, we recognize that many students prefer to learn in on-campus classes – and as a community, we value those day-to-day encounters that enhance our learning, our work and our lives. For these reasons, we are making plans to reunite safely with our Cal. U classmates and colleagues this fall.”
Christine Kindl, vice president of communications and marketing at Cal. U, said they are the first of the state’s 14 schools to make such an announcement.
In a letter posted on its website, Lee said WU “will continue to develop and update plans and protocols that will contribute to the safety of our students, faculty and staff.”
He noted that Greene County has some of the lowest numbers of per capita COVID-19 cases in the state. As of Friday, there were 27 positive cases in the county, according to the state Department of Health.
“With continued vigilance and plans that can be flexible and responsive to any further orders by state or federal officials, we will do the best things in the worst times,” he wrote.
All three schools plan to honor the seniors set to graduate this spring with in-person commencement ceremonies.
Cal. U’s 2020 seniors will be invited to join winter graduates in December, Jones said. Lee has said WU is committed to an in-person commencement for 2020 seniors, but a new date has not yet been set. W&J’s commencement has been tentatively rescheduled for Aug. 1.