Dear Doane Community,
We are a little over a month away from welcoming students back to our campus locations. It will be exciting to have new and returning students back on our campuses to continue to advance their education. A few weeks ago we shared that we have revised our academic calendar for the Crete residential campus. The academic calendar for our non-residential students and the academic calendar for Graduate Studies in Education did not change.
Throughout the coronavirus pandemic, our priority is to ensure the safety of our students, faculty, and staff. We are working with local health authorities and monitoring CDC guidance to put in place best practices for the fall. As you are aware, COVID-19 remains a large concern in Nebraska, the U.S., and the world. We, as a campus community, will continue to have to adapt our daily lives, expectations, habits, and routines for the foreseeable future. In one effort to mitigate the spread of COVID-19, a key requirement for this fall will be requiring the wearing of masks on campus in classroom spaces and in areas where physical distancing is not possible. Another is that we are scheduling to have our classroom spaces operate at 50% capacity.
Given the reduced classroom capacities, the need to minimize the flow of students on our campuses, and the likelihood of individuals (students, faculty, and staff) continuing to be impacted by COVID-19, our instructional model will need to be flexible, adaptive, and built around these realities. Going forward we are preparing for a continued first wave and the possibility of second and third waves of COVID-19.
This fall, academic courses on all of our campuses will be taught using a range of modalities. If you are taking multiple courses from Doane, it is likely you will have a mix of course types. Even for on-ground courses, the classroom experience will be impacted by masks and physical distancing requirements. Using a mix of modalities will allow Doane to operate safely and maintain the health and wellness of our students, faculty, and staff. Please know that faculty are working hard to ensure their courses will maintain the same quality learning experience that our students expect. The Deans and their faculty are confident they will be able to support students despite any challenges that might occur this fall.
Students with health issues and/or concerns that may put them at an increased risk for illness are encouraged to contact Nurse Kelly (kelly.jirovec@doane.edu) or Anita Harkins, ADA Coordinator (anita.harkins@doane.edu) to discuss possible accommodation options.
COVID-19 is unlike any public health crisis we have dealt with in the past 100 years. Maintaining an engaging, high-quality learning environment, while protecting your health and wellness, is our priority. I ask that you have patience as we continue to develop our plans for a successful fall. Later this month, more details will be shared about the modality each course will operate in for residential students on the Crete campus. Our non-residential courses have already outlined modality on the posted course schedules.
Please continue to visit our Tigers Together Return to Campus webpage for more information and updates as it relates to fall planning.
Dr. Paul Savory
Provost