President Andrew T. Hsu sent the following message to the campus community on Tuesday, March 10, 2020:

Dear Students,

I am writing to announce that in-person classes at the College, specifically lectures and seminars, will be conducted online on Thursday, March 12th to test our institution’s ability to hold instruction in a virtual setting and from a distance.

As you may be aware, some colleges and universities in other parts of the country have suspended in-classroom instruction due to the COVID-19 outbreak. While I hope that this does not become a reality for our institution, it is imperative that we plan for this possibility, and this one-day test will help us to do so.

To be clear, the College does not have any positive cases of the Coronavirus. Our one-day test is a precautionary measure to evaluate our technology systems and instructional protocols.

During this test of our online instruction capabilities on Thursday, March 12th, the College will continue all normal operations. The library and all student services (e.g., residence halls, dining facilities, student support services) will remain on their normal operating schedules. All staff will report for a regular workday. All campus events and activities will take place as scheduled.

For this test, I have instructed our faculty to suspend in-person classes from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. on March 12th. However, in some instances, in-person classes may still need to be conducted due to previously scheduled exams, fieldwork and lab work. Please check with your individual faculty member with any questions about how your class will be meeting on Thursday, March 12th.

The College is currently working on a website with resources for learning remotely. You will receive more information and a link to this site via email and text later today.

I apologize for any inconvenience this exercise may cause, but we must be prepared to maintain the academic progress of our students while also ensuring the health and safety of our campus community.

As a reminder, please continue to practice good hygiene, particularly regular handwashing. More information about the College’s response to the virus outbreak can be found on emergency.cofc.edu.

Sincerely,

Andrew

 

Andrew T. Hsu, Ph.D.

President