Faculty approves revised 2020-21 academic calendar

Fall semester on-campus experience begins August 31, ends by Thanksgiving

In an email to the campus community on Wednesday, June 3, Dean of Curriculum and Registrar Ian Binnington announced that the college faculty has approved a revised calendar for the upcoming 2020-21 academic year in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to the plan, the fall 2020 semester begins on August 31 with 12 weeks of on-campus instruction until November 24. Mid-August move-in plans are developing and yet to be announced, according to Binington. There will be no fall break and students will not return to campus after Thanksgiving break.

Students will complete the fall semester remotely from November 30 until December 4. Final exams will be taken remotely and end on December 11.

The spring 2021 semester will begin on January 19 with a 4-credit, intensive three-week Module 1 including finals. Module 2 will commence February 22 with a 12-week, on-campus experience. Students will take three, four-credit classes. Module 2 will end on May 7 with finals ending on May 17, and commencement will be held May 22.

Binnington reiterated the college’s principles for re-opening, including having as few students as possible on campus during peak flu season.

“We know you will have questions about the ramifications for this change,” Binnington wrote in the email to the campus community. “These questions are important and we will be providing answers as we finalize details over the next few weeks.”

This is a developing story.