Two New England colleges on Wednesday announced their reopening plans for the fall 2020 term amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Emerson College in Boston announced it is launching "One Emerson Flex Learning," which will combine both online and in-person learning.
College officials said the vast majority of students and their parents wanted to return to campus.
"Flex Learning is our approach to serve the various and diverse needs of our students, faculty, and staff during these unprecedented times, while preserving our commitment to a robust and vibrant campus experience," Emerson College President Lee Pelton said in a statement.
As part of the One Emerson Flex Learning plan, students will not return after Thanksgiving and will move completely to online learning for the remainder of the fall semester.
Among the safety measures Emerson will put in place are symptom checking and monitoring; enhanced cleaning and disinfection; the required use of face coverings in all campus spaces; the installation of Plexiglass at key contact points; limits on the numbers of people in elevators and stairwells; and staggering start and end times of classes and work times.
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Southern New Hampshire University took a different route, announcing it would be extending remote learning through the fall 2020 semester due to the pandemic.
Because of the move, SNHU will reduce campus tuition to its online rates of $960 per 3-credit course for all students.
School officials said they made the decision to move completely online for the safety of the community and "limited availability of community-wide testing."
"While we wish we could welcome our 3,000 students back to our beautiful campus this fall, public health guidelines still say social distancing is our best way to slow the spread of the virus, and welcoming back thousands of students from around the world would put the health of our students, staff, faculty, and the greater Manchester and Hooksett communities at risk," said Dr. Paul LeBlanc, President and CEO, SNHU.
