Newman University has announced that it plans to resume in-person classes for the fall 2020 semester.
During the past month, several university groups have worked diligently on plans for the safe return to campus for students, faculty and staff. Currently, two task forces are nearing completion of the university’s mitigation and success blueprint for the restoration of its face-to-face education. The teams are ensuring that all classes will be responsive to the needs of community and public health and flexible enough to adapt to the needs of a rapidly changing environment.
Interim President Teresa Hall Bartels is excited to welcome students back to campus. “With the health and safety of the Newman community as our top priority, and flexibility to adjust to future pandemic realities, we’re confident we can deliver the in-person academic excellence that our students desire and deserve this fall.”
Inspired by its namesake, St. John Henry Newman, the university has a special mission—to create an environment of academic excellence available to a diverse range of students and to empower those students to transform the world.
“The best way to accomplish our mission is with in-person learning experiences within a nurturing community,” Bartels said.
With this fall’s implementation of Newman’s new student support program, Navigator, undergraduates will have access to additional resources and experiences to enhance their success. Noting a student’s higher education path is never a solo journey at Newman, Navigator is also designed to help students who may feel increased stress heightened by these unprecedented times.
While specific details are still forthcoming on most of the plan, a decision has been finalized to make all on-campus housing single room occupancy.
Additionally, for this coming academic year, the university has waived the requirement that all freshmen and sophomore students live in the residence halls if their home address is more than 30 miles from campus.
