Clark College announces online summer and fall terms

Clark College announced that it would continue offering most
of its classes only in online formats through the 2020 summer and fall terms.

“This was not an easy decision,” wrote Interim President
Sandra Fowler-Hill in an email to students on April 24. “We all want to be
optimistic that we will be able to return to classes face-to-face. But we have
listened closely to the CDC and Public Health’s caution that our ‘new normal’
will depend on what the virus does. There may be recurrent restrictions on
large gatherings by the Governor. We are a large institution with thousands of
students and more than 1,000 employees. We must consider our whole community’s
health and safety first and foremost.”

Fowler-Hill added that it was important to make the decision
in a timely fashion, so that students could have time to prepare for the
prospect of two more terms of remote learning, and faculty could have
sufficient time to thoughtfully adapt their courses for distance teaching.

The college has also moved its registration dates for summer
and fall terms in order to give faculty, staff, and students the time they need
to adjust their plans.

The college is working with state authorities to get guidance
on options that would allow some classes to run in-person labs during summer
and fall terms, using appropriate social distancing techniques.

The college is also waiting for additional guidance from the
state and from public health authorities before announcing any plans to shift from
fully remote operations to partially remote.

Fowler-Hill communicated the college’s decision to employees
in an email update. “I know this is
hard news to absorb,” she wrote. “We miss our campus. We miss our students. We
miss interacting face-to-face with each other. By making this decision
now, we will have ample time to improve our processes to best
support our students so they can learn online,
remotely, successfully, and safely.”