Andrews Moves Toward Campus Reopening

President Luxton details planning for fall semester at Andrews University

May 14, 2020

Dear Campus Community,

One of the questions I am being asked daily is this: “Is Andrews University going to teach face-to-face and in-person this fall semester?”

In order to answer that, we, like other universities, have been carefully watching trends of COVID-19 and are considering our options for both keeping the campus community safe and fulfilling our mission of delivering strong Seventh-day Adventist education. We have also been continuing to consult with experts and are paying attention to the MI Safe Start Plan, put out recently by the Michigan Governor’s Office, that articulates the steps for opening the state, including colleges and universities.

So here is the answer to the critical question: Yes!

Yes, we do plan on opening Andrews University this fall and starting the fall semester of classes on August 24, 2020. We believe we have a strong plan in place to mitigate risk as we focus on safety for all of our community, including our students and employees. However, we will be flexible, creative and responsive to any changing situation and, if needed, will make additional changes to help assure the safety of our students, employees and community.

And as World Changers, we are ready for that. In fact, Andrews students are needed now more than ever as we become World Changers for a changing world.

The most significant change to our plans for the fall is that while we will open on the scheduled date, we anticipate our official end date for face-to-face classes for the fall semester to be Tuesday, November 24. This will allow our students to travel home for Thanksgiving without having to return to the campus for a final few days of classes and exams.

You will hear more about how that will work from the Office of the Provost over the next few weeks, including how all semester activities will be concluded with that early end of campus classroom activities.

We also anticipate changes to our normal on-campus plans for orientation for new students, as well as for residence halls and Dining Services. The vice president for Campus & Student Life will be communicating with students and parents about those details in the next few weeks. And there will also be more thoughtful adjustments to ensure that the in- and out-of-classroom education experiences for our students remain rich, fulfilling and as safe as possible.

We will continue to communicate to all our campus community groups, from students to employees, as we roll out our plans for what we trust will be an amazing fall semester on the campus of Andrews University.

In the meantime, the Andrews University Facebook page, where COVID-19 updates have been shared, will be shifting its focus to updates and plans for the new school year. I encourage you to keep updated on our decisions and plans by checking in regularly there, as well as on our University Instagram and Twitter accounts.

We are grateful for your commitment to this journey, even with its complications and challenges to our Andrews University community and our entire world.

Finally, we continue to invite your prayers to join with ours as we move forward carefully and intentionally with our commitment to achieve the mission of our University.

Sincerely,

Andrea Luxton
President