SU Announces Fall 2021 Operating Plans

SALISBURY, MD---Salisbury University today announced plans to deliver most classes on campus for the fall 2021 semester.

In a campuswide letter from the President’s Office, University officials noted that the SU community’s diligence in following the University’s COVID-19 protocols, along with national efforts to combat the virus, are expected to allow most activities to resume normally, with some safety measures still in place.

Face masks, physical distancing and regular COVID-19 testing are likely to remain as requirements for students and employees next fall, the letter said. The full email follows below.

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Members of the Campus Community,

Many of you have asked about Salisbury University’s potential operating plans for next fall. While none of us can predict the future, most classes are expected to be delivered in person, and it is anticipated that most faculty and staff will return to on-campus activities.

We are heartened by the growing percentage of Americans who have received the COVID-19 vaccine in recent weeks and by President Biden’s recent announcement that vaccines are expected to be available to the vast majority of people across the nation by July.

SU has begun planning for operations in fall 2021 with a return to routine campus activities, but with reduced density in some. While that likely still will require some hybrid classes and the need for continued precautions such as face masks, testing, and physical distancing, we will be one step closer to a full return to pre-pandemic operations.

Thanks to our dedicated students and employees, SU is in a better position to move to this level than many of our peers. Last semester, about 50% of our classes were face-to-face or hybrid while many other campuses adopted a fully virtual model. Currently, more than 50% of Salisbury’s classes are being held in face-to-face or hybrid modalities, compared to 25% or fewer at some of our University System of Maryland partners. The willingness of our campus community to follow safety protocols and participate in regular COVID-19 testing has allowed this and is the reason we are able to plan for a more “normal” fall semester.

There are still many questions to be answered, and new questions are likely to develop as we work toward the fall. Additional announcements will be made as we determine best practices and procedures for safely returning to normal activities. As always, the most up-to-date information will be available on the SU COVID-19 webpage.

We look forward to seeing many more of you on campus next fall.

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Currently, more than 50 percent of SU classes are being held with in-person components — either fully face-to-face or as hybrid courses with face-to-face and virtual elements — more than any other institution in the University System of Maryland (USM).

Last fall, SU was the only USM campus to provide in-person learning for students throughout the entire semester. This spring, it has the second largest on-campus student population of all schools in the System.

For more information call 410-543-6030 or visit the SU website at www.salisbury.edu.