Feb. 24, 2021
Dear Students, Faculty and Staff,
We are grateful for how our campus has adjusted, allowing our spring semester to carry forward smoothly with a remote start and transition to in-person classes. Through our interactions with students, faculty and staff, we know there is energy and optimism as we look ahead to the rest of this year.
In this message, we share our plan for the summer term and preview what we expect for the fall 2021 semester.
We will evaluate a variety of factors—including our success in minimizing COVID-19 spread this spring, vaccine rollout progress and pandemic trends—in the weeks ahead to solidify our plans. On or before March 24, we will provide more details on our progress in scaling operations this summer and accelerating our return to more in-person experiences for the fall 2021 semester.
Summer 2021
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Academics: We will offer a combination of in-person, hybrid in-person and remote courses for the summer 2021 term.
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In summer 2020, all courses were remote, and we saw an increase in enrollment from previous summer sessions. We will continue to meet the student demand for distance education in the summer.
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The priority for offering in-person courses this summer will be for classes that help undergraduate and graduate students advance and complete their degrees.
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Students can view the designated course modality when searching the summer class schedule.
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Events and activities: Opportunities for campus events and activities will increase during the summer term as much as public health guidelines allow. The campus will give priority to events that support academics, research, creative work, the student experience and campus visits for prospective students and families. If possible, we will enable programs and events that support the broader community. We do not expect the summer to have the full array of programs, events and activities like a typical summer on campus.
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Guidance regarding the process for reviews and approval of in-person summer programs, events and activities is being finalized and will be forthcoming.
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Campus housing: The campus will announce campus housing options for the summer in April.
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Campus facilities:
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The Rec Center will remain open and continue operating in accordance with public health guidelines. Student access will remain our priority and reservations will continue. We will increase capacity as much as we are able.
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Dining Services will continue to provide options for the campus community.
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The University Memorial Center (UMC) will continue to welcome students and guests with dining options, study rooms and The Connection, open in alignment with the state COVID-19 dial.
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Staffing: We anticipate the status quo for summer in terms of staffing, meaning the Campus Health and Safety Policy criteria for on-campus work will still apply. Employees most likely will continue to work in the same environment as they have in the spring. As we learn more about vaccinations and, if COVID-19 conditions continue to improve in the community, this scenario could change. The campus will issue guidance to assist supervisors and employees in discussing work modalities for the fall in the upcoming weeks.
Fall 2021 preview
We are planning to move forward with a more comprehensive on-campus experience this fall. Based on the latest pandemic projections and anticipated vaccine availability and uptake in our community, we anticipate offering the majority of courses in person, increasing access to our campus dining options, amenities and facilities, and increasing student social activities and on-campus events. We anticipate the ability to have increased public attendance at CU Buffs athletics and campus arts and culture events. We are envisioning how public health guidelines from the state and county will likely adapt to changing conditions, creating more in-person opportunities for students, faculty and staff. We plan for our residence halls to be operating at close to full capacity. We will work cooperatively with public health authorities and believe that we can maintain a safe campus environment while opening the CU Boulder campus experience to a far greater extent.
More updates
We will share another update on our summer and fall plans on or before March 24. We continue to work closely with the state and public health officials in supporting the vaccine rollout as best we can.
Please continue to read CU Boulder Today for updates related to COVID-19 testing, vaccines, public health guidelines and more. The weekly COVID-19 update publishes every Thursday. Join campus leaders for the weekly Campus Q&A. Our next Campus Q&A will take place Tuesday, March 2, and focus on vaccines. The focus of subsequent sessions for the semester will alternate each week between faculty/staff and students/families.
We’re seeing growing participation in the monitoring testing program and consistent use of the daily health check through Buff Pass. We appreciate everything you’re doing to protect our herd and allow for our spring semester to be a positive step toward where we’re headed as a campus, as a community and as Buffs together.
Thank you,
Russell Moore
Provost
Patrick O’Rourke
Chief Operating Officer