Message from President Nyre Regarding Our Plans for the Fall 2020 Semester  

Dear Members of the Seton Hall Community,

I am grateful to communicate with you so soon after the close of another academic year. Our students, faculty, clergy and all Setonians have experienced a semester like no other. Yet you navigated the effects of the pandemic with uncommon grace, good sense and cooperation.

Your flexibility, persistence and desire to succeed in the face of adversity have been tremendous, and animate the spirit of our Catholic community. Seton Hall was an early responder to the outbreak — well before any CDC guidance, executive orders or coordinated efforts to flatten the curve. We moved to cancel study abroad in early March and deployed measures to protect students and employees.

Our rapid transition to remote learning, refunds for room, board and parking, and timely distribution of CARES Act funding affirmed the University's character. This week's online celebrations of the Class of 2020 show the heart of Seton Hall. We are grateful for the many kind messages we have received from you, expressing deep appreciation for these and other actions to serve our entire community.

Looking Ahead

Now I invite you to join me in looking ahead with a sense of hope, to the fall 2020 semester, when we will be together on campus with health and safety guidelines in place. Over the past many weeks, teams representing every part of our community have been busy planning for a multitude of reopening scenarios and contingencies. Their vision, creativity and problem-solving skills are ensuring Seton Hall's dynamic response to the pandemic.

The coronavirus infection rate continues to decrease in New Jersey, which has allowed Governor Phil Murphy to approve the gradual reopening of select businesses and public areas. This trend likely will continue through the summer to include universities. We remain in contact with state and local health experts, elected officials and government leaders as Seton Hall works toward returning to full operations on all our campuses. We are diligently working to set campus protocols that create an environment that is as safe and healthy as possible.

One of our many considerations has been determining an in-person class schedule for the fall 2020 semester. This effort is particularly challenging due to the size of our campuses and the many places Setonians call home. While COVID-19 cases are decreasing in New Jersey, the opposite is true elsewhere. Moreover, flare-ups can occur at any time. While we recognize these challenges, we know they are ones we can address and overcome.

Returning to Campus

Having incorporated input from state and local public health experts, and by adhering to the best scientific and governmental guidance, Seton Hall plans to conduct the fall semester as follows:

• Monday, Aug. 24: Classes begin. Instruction will continue through the semester without a fall break.
• Tuesday, Nov. 24: Classes conclude. Students depart for Thanksgiving break and will not return to campus for the remainder of the semester.
• Monday, Nov. 30: Review sessions, reading days and final exams will be administered remotely over the following two weeks.

This schedule reduces cyclical risks of virus spread during colder months. It also avoids the possibility of students, faculty and staff members traveling home for fall break and Thanksgiving, contracting the virus, and returning to campus with nascent cases of COVID-19.

Seton Hall Law will operate under a separate calendar while implementing University-wide health and safety principles.

Our Plan for the Fall 2020 Semester

Our plan for the fall 2020 semester includes a hybrid, flexible (HyFlex) blended approach to resuming classroom instruction. It ensures in-person, reduced-density learning while offering students the option to pursue their studies entirely in a remote fashion. Students who choose to study on campus will experience a blend of in-person and remote live instruction. This creates physical distancing for those choosing an in-person environment while accommodating students who choose the remote option for the semester.

The reopening plan is driving infrastructure improvements that will allow Seton Hall to deliver safe, high-quality, in-person and remote learning. Work is underway to modify campus environments, including academic buildings, dining spaces and residence halls, to support physical distancing and uphold health protocols. Residence hall rooms will reopen with reduced density and specialized cleaning procedures.

Additional classroom technology will be installed over the summer to support the HyFlex teaching modality. This will be supplemented by a summer workshop to equip faculty members with the tools to help them ensure the high-quality Catholic educational experience that has been our mainstay since 1856.

Health and Safety Focus

Each member of our community is integral to creating the Seton Hall experience in its fullest, most dynamic sense. We look forward to commencing on-campus instruction for our students, who are eager to continue their academic progress on our vibrant campuses. This is especially true for students whose living situations away from Seton Hall are not optimal for study. Although Setonians may be asked to return in phases so the University can implement health and safety protocols, our goal is for everyone to return.

We are working with members of the state government, peers at other institutions, and our partners at Hackensack Meridian Health to acquire testing capacity and personal protective equipment. As communities reopen up and down the eastern seaboard, educational, healthcare and governmental systems must work together, work smartly, and respect the health and well-being of one another.

When we return to campus, the Health Intervention and Communication Team (HICT) will deploy protocols to test, trace and isolate students and employees. This work will not be easy, but we are committed to these protocols and their success. They will be augmented by a host of additional actions that are designed to provide maximum health and safety at Seton Hall.

Preparing for Every Contingency

Setonians, I am very pleased to share this information about our return to campus, and will provide additional details for the fall 2020 semester as they are developed. We will keep you apprised of our progress on a timely basis to ensure you have enough advance notice to plan your schedules. As always, every decision we make will be carefully considered and reflect the paramount importance of the health and well-being of our entire community.

Though we are excited and confident about the upcoming semester, we are equally aware that an unexpected, severe outbreak of COVID-19 remains a possibility. For this we will remain ever vigilant, and continue our comprehensive planning efforts so that Seton Hall is prepared for whatever the coronavirus throws at us. No possible scenario will be overlooked, particularly those that anticipate the need to return to fully remote instruction.

Our faculty and staff will be prepared to move instruction entirely online at a moment's notice should this become necessary, and to provide remote learning throughout the semester to students who may be in isolation, quarantine, or simply prefer to receive instruction away from campus.

Multiple Teams Mapping Our Future

My thanks go to the many individuals who have dedicated countless hours to moving the University forward, including the Health Intervention and Communication Team, Educational Strategy and Remote Student Engagement Team, Contingency Planning Groups A and B, and Great Minds Forward committee.

From this point on:

The Health Intervention and Communication Team will continue efforts to finalize health protocols in coordination with CDC guidance, evolving New Jersey regulations and pending executive orders.

The Reopening Operations Team will continue efforts to integrate all changes to campus, the academy and Student Services regarding the acquisition of personal protective equipment and development and introduction of health and safety protocols. We will continue to update our community through announcements and our Plans for the Fall 2020 Semester website.

I look forward to the day when we will safely return to our beautiful campuses. In the meantime, please know that you and your loved ones are in my prayers. I ask that you keep Seton Hall and all Setonians in yours. Stay safe and God bless you.

Sincerely,

Joseph E. Nyre, Ph.D.
President

Categories: Campus Life