APSU plans for in-person, on-campus classes in the Fall
Austin Peay State University officials announced Monday, May 4, they plan to move forward with in-person classes on campus this Fall. The decision comes after collecting information and recommendations from health officials and campus community members who are working on plans to facilitate social distancing and heightened cleaning and sanitation protocols.
In a message to campus on Monday, APSU President Alisa White said, “After much thought and discussion with health and safety experts, I have decided to resume in-person classes on campus this fall.
“Our COVID-19 Task Force and the Strategic Planning Integration Task Force will continue to develop recommendations to carry us through this and similar scenarios for up to two years. We soon will announce updates regarding specific issues the task forces and other subgroups are studying, such as on-campus housing and in-classroom social distancing. Whatever decisions we make, the focus always will be on the safety of our students, faculty and staff, and our commitment to academic quality.”
The University will continue to follow the recommendations of the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to help protect APSU students, faculty and staff. Austin Peay’s COVID-19 Task Force and its Strategic Planning Integration Team are working to develop flexible options to provide students a quality education at the University -- whether on campus, fully online or a hybrid of those options -- while prioritizing the safety of the entire APSU community.
The University recently purchased and received more than 6,000 face masks, and the task forces, in consultation with faculty and academic leadership, are looking at how to offer smaller in-person classes to maintain social distancing standards in the classroom. Austin Peay is also purchasing and making its own hand sanitizer, in collaboration with the Department of Chemistry, to have available this fall.
The Strategic Planning Integration Team is led by retired Lt. Gen. Ronald Bailey (U.S. Marine Corps), vice president for external affairs. The COVID-19 task force is led by Michael Kasitz, associate vice president for public safety. For general updates on the University’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, visit https://www.apsu.edu/coronavirus.