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Fall 2020 Reopening Update

A Message From the President

Over the last four months, the University has adjusted and adapted to the unpredictable nature of the coronavirus pandemic. COVID-19 has forced us to examine our daily operations and make the necessary changes. As I have shared before, we are prepared to change our plans based on the data provided by local, state and national health agencies.

Mindful of Â鶹´«Ã½’s family oriented campus as a unique place for living and learning, we had hoped to reopen the campus in August. Out of an abundance of caution, with the safety of our students and employees in mind, the University has decided to begin the 2020 Fall semester August 10, 2020, remotely (Fully Online). Our current plans call for the reopening of campus on September 21, 2020, for in-person and hybrid instruction. For those who prefer all courses will continue to be available in a fully online modality. As you may know, this decision has not been made lightly.

The University’s administrative team has spent the last few months closely reviewing COVID-19’s impact in Orangeburg and throughout our state. We have been engaged in detailed conversations with our external community health experts in Orangeburg and all over South Carolina. From these reports generated by the South Carolina Department of Environmental Control (DHEC), and guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and other health agencies, it has become increasingly clear that it would be unsafe to reopen the campus for face-to-face instruction in August as previously announced. However, our plan to reopen the campus has not changed, and we will do so based on the spread of COVID-19 during the next month. The outlook of health experts on the safe return of students in early August for face-face instruction and on-campus residential experiences is disconcerting. Thus, we must rely on the data to help drive our decision making.

Residence Halls are tentatively scheduled to reopen September 16, 2020. 
In that eventuality, students can continue to receive online instruction if they so desire.

Important Dates:

• August 10, 2020 - First Day of Remote Learning
• September 16, 2020 - Campus Housing will tentatively open
• September 28, 2020 - October 2, 2020- Midterm Exams
• October 5, 2020 - Session II Online, Evening and Graduate Programs begin
• November 16-20, 2020 - Final Exams
• November 21, 2020 - Fall Commencement (Tentatively)
• November 30, 2020 - (6 weeks)-Winter Semester begins (optional)

For the safety of our campus community, we are requiring all students to upload COVID-19 test results to MyÂ鶹´«Ã½ prior to move in. The link for this purpose will be available closer to reopening and will be shared via email. It is impossible to overstate that the safety of students, faculty and staff is our top priority in this challenging time.

Our efforts will continue to focus on what’s best for students, faculty and staff. We will continue to monitor the fluidity of the virus and as circumstances dictate, we will communicate further adjustments to the community. We encourage you to keep following CDC guidelines and safety recommendations from your local, state and federal agencies.

Thank you Â鶹´«Ã½ Family, for your patience and understanding during these unprecedented times as we diligently work through the hurdles of COVID-19.

Peace and Blessings,

Dr. Dwaun J. Warmack
President