University Announces Plans for Summer and Fall

With the midway point of the spring semester in view, Rockhurst University is announcing plans for its summer and fall 2021.

COVID-19 has meant many changes to daily life on campus — since returning to campus in summer 2020, students, faculty and staff have adjusted to following guidelines such as mask-wearing, meetings conducted over Zoom, remote learning, and social distancing.

However, the prospect of more widespread vaccinations, the knowledge gained over the past year of how to bring students back to campus safely, and an ongoing decrease in the number of cases both on campus and in the Kansas City community means those restrictions could ease by the beginning of the fall semester.

According to Doug Dunham, Ph.D., provost and senior vice president for academic affairs, things will mostly look the same on campus for the remainder of the spring semester and the upcoming summer term. Mask-wearing, social distancing and reduced classroom capacity will still be in effect, with students learning through a number of different online and hybrid course styles – and many large group activities delivered in virtual formats.

Next fall, students, faculty and staff will likely start the year wearing face masks in common areas and in classrooms. However, the plan is to return to full classroom capacity and increase the number of face-to-face learning options. Residence halls will stay at near-normal occupancy, and students will possibly have more opportunities for in-person social gatherings and activities.

“We think students, staff, and faculty are eager for a return to normalcy and we know that in-person engagement and learning is a benefit to their overall student experience. With what we’ve learned over the past year as well as the trends for transmission of the virus itself, we feel we are in a position to move toward a return to the full campus experience,” Dunham said. “Of course, the health and safety of our campus is our foremost concern, so we will continue to monitor the situation and are prepared to adjust these plans if needed.”