Chestnut Hill College Announces Plans To Fully Reopen For In-Person, On-Campus Learning For Fall 2021
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Colleges in the Philadelphia area are beginning to announce plans to fully reopen for in-person, on-campus learning for the fall 2021 semester. Chestnut Hill College, located in the Chestnut Hill section of the city, announced Tuesday it is planning to fully reopen for the fall semester which is scheduled to begin in August.
"We are encouraged by the tremendous progress made by health experts and scientists over the last year," said Sister Carol Jean Vale, President of the College. "And while we remain vigilant in our planning, we are confident that we can fully reopen while protecting the health and safety of our campus community."
The decision comes following a review of the latest guidance from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on large group gatherings and distribution of vaccinations.
"We are looking forward to having everyone back on campus together to experience the full spirit of Chestnut Hill College," said Vale. "Our students, faculty, and staff have shown great strength and resilience as we navigated the challenges of the pandemic. I'm confident that they will continue to act responsibly to keep our community healthy and safe."
Chestnut Hill partially reopened for the spring 2021 semester. They are using a low-density hybrid model with both in-person and online instruction. Students on campus have followed a series of new health and safety protocols that include testing, social distancing and restricted gathering sizes in classrooms on campus.
The college's summer 2021 sessions will continue to offer a limited selection of on-campus courses and online courses for undergraduate studies while the school of graduate studies and school of continuing and professional studies will continue with remote instruction.
The University of Pennsylvania has also announced they are committed to returning for the fall semester including in-person instruction, living and learning experience for the students.