USF announces 4-point plan for Fall 2020 Semester

USF announces 4-point plan for Fall 2020 Semester

May 19, 2020

University of Sioux Falls today announced a 4-point plan for reopening its campus and welcoming its students back for the fall semester. USF will:

1. Adjust its academic calendar to mitigate risk. Undergraduates will start early—on August 20—and skip fall break in order to end the fall semester prior to Thanksgiving in anticipation of an emerging flu season and/or a resurgence of COVID-19.
2. Adhere to the best standards of social distancing to put the health and safety of students, faculty and staff first. Fortunately, USF already has a lower student-to-faculty ratio than most of its peers, and that will allow students to be in a classroom while continuing to practice social distancing and best health practices. While normally students are required to live on campus for their first two years, exceptions are being made for second-year students in the 2020-21 academic year. USF has developed a comprehensive plan including specific guidelines and practices, which has been distributed to the entire campus community.
3. Remain committed to the academic and personal success of every single student. In new ways, USF will continue delivering its unique brand of intensely personal, high quality, engaging Christian liberal arts education through both in-person and remotely as necessary. USF will continue to partner with local employers in safe and thoughtful ways to provide students high quality experiential learning opportunities such as internships, student teaching rotations, clinical rotations and more.
4. Continue looking for ways to live out our motto of Culture for Service in ways that are feasible to support the Sioux Falls region and beyond.

The ultimate goal is to provide all students as normal of a college experience as possible while taking into account safety and health considerations.

“We believe these steps will allow us to return safely to campus this fall and give students the best possible college experience,” said President Brett Bradfield. “We believe this four-point plan and its various components can work and is the best way to ensure the health, safety and success of our campus community while maintaining the highly personal and high-quality experience expected from the University of Sioux Falls.”

USF will continue to make data-informed decisions based on the research, advice and regulatory protocols from state and local health officials, our own internal expertise and national best practices.

For more on USF’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic, visit usiouxfalls.edu/covid.