Dear Pace Students and Families,
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We’re excited to be safely back on campus this fall, and we know every member of our community is committed to creating a safe environment. Our plan to return to campus is guided by the latest public health recommendations, input from Pace University students, faculty, and staff, and our mission of
Opportunitas
.
We will deliver academic coursework in new ways to accommodate these new health and safety protocols. Faculty have re-envisioned their courses for our new instructional modalities, including fully on-campus, fully online, web-assisted, or HyFlex, a hybrid modality that is further explained below. The hard work of our faculty will ensure your continued success as a student.
Below are some important highlights of what you can expect—and what steps you should take—as you return to student life. More details will follow, so we urge you to check your Pace email regularly.
Testing and Quarantine
The University is still finalizing a COVID-19 screening protocol and will announce our requirements on or before August 1. For now, if you are planning to return to campus in the fall, we strongly recommend that you be tested for COVID-19 within 14 days prior to your arrival on campus. You will not need to share your test results with the University unless you test positive.
Testing
locations
are available around the country.
If you test positive for COVID-19 prior to returning to campus, please remain at home, take care of yourself, and monitor your condition. Your faculty and your academic departments will work with you to develop academic accommodations, so you should reach out to them as soon as you are able. Full details regarding quarantine protocols will also be announced no later than August 1.
Residential students returning to Pace after spending time in a high-risk state may be required to observe New York State’s
14-day quarantine
. If this is required, we will develop a plan to safely manage these students’ return to campus in a way that follows all guidelines and protects the health of everyone in our community. We will communicate our requirements and plans shortly, pending further guidance from the state.
Fall 2020 Calendar and Exams
The Fall 2020 semester will begin on Monday, August 24, with a mix of remote and on-campus operations, and will continue without breaks through November 24, two days before Thanksgiving. Classes will resume online on November 30. Final exams may be held in-person or online before Thanksgiving, but only online after Thanksgiving. The fall semester will end on Saturday, December 5. Please carefully review these
key dates for students
.
Updated class schedules, complete with instructional modalities, will be available on the
Pace Portal
starting the week of July 27. It is important for you to carefully review your class schedule. Once you receive information about your course schedule and teaching modalities, please contact your academic advisor for further guidance.
You will have until August 24 to make adjustments to your schedule.
After the start of the fall semester, you will be able to take advantage of the traditional
Add/Drop period
.
How Classes Will be Delivered
Pace University is known for our commitment to providing student-centered learning experiences with a focus on in-person instruction and engagement. We are planning to continue this commitment in Fall 2020 in a way that prioritizes and protects the health of our vibrant community of students, faculty, and staff.
For the Fall 2020 semester, courses will be offered in one of four instructional modalities:
- Fully on-campus, the traditional in-person format with no online instructional elements; or
- HyFlex, or hybrid-flex, which enables simultaneous live, synchronous instruction to both an online group of students and an on-campus group of students; or
- Web-assisted, in which the course will be delivered with some combination of on-campus and online elements; or
- Fully online, in which all classes will be delivered online and may be delivered synchronously (with live attendance on a set schedule) or asynchronously (with no requirement to be online at a specific time).
This mix of modalities will protect the health of our students, faculty, and staff by reducing density on campus, preventing large gatherings, and freeing up on-campus space for those courses that benefit from in-person meetings.
Courses in which instruction and assessment cannot happen virtually (e.g., performance courses, labs, and clinical experiences) will have priority for classroom space.
For courses that will meet in-person, classrooms have been reconfigured to accommodate social distancing. Some larger classes will be moved to larger spaces, such as gymnasiums or auditoriums, to accommodate more students in the classroom or other needs. We’ll also add markings to classrooms to delineate appropriate distancing. Learn more about our
spaces on campus
.
Remote options will be used for non-teaching activities such as office hours and meetings. We know that fieldwork, clinical experiences, internships, and other experiential learning
are important elements of our academic fabric. The University’s approach to these experiences will be guided by public health guidelines, accreditation requirements, and academic norms associated with the different disciplines.
Faculty are prepared to accommodate students who are physically unable to return to campus by making all courses fully accessible—to the extent possible—via asynchronous learning opportunities.
Life on Campus and in the Residence Halls
As Pace Setters, it is our shared responsibility to care for one another’s health and safety.
Social distancing
is a key part to stopping the spread of COVID-19. You will see signage indicating traffic flow, occupancy restrictions, and social distancing reminders around campus. Classrooms and other areas with face-to-face interaction will be outfitted with clear barriers to protect us.
This means that how you spend your time with others will look and feel different than it has in the past. We must all follow guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and New York State, which means in addition to social distancing, we must all wear
face coverings
in common areas, classrooms, offices, other indoor spaces, and especially in areas where six feet of distance cannot be maintained.
- Campus Life and Student Activities: We know that involvement in campus life is a vital aspect to your college experience, and we’re committed to offering a variety of programs and events this fall. The Centers for Student Development and Campus Activities in NYC and Pleasantville are working diligently to provide opportunities for student engagement that comply with the new guidelines. As you know, this past spring we developed a variety of virtual campus life activities, and we anticipate continuing many of these. We will offer training sessions to student organization leaders to assist in reimagining their plans for the academic year. While some meetings and events will need to take place online, we are also working to provide in-person options to help maintain the vibrant campus community that we all enjoy.
- Residential Life and Housing: Living on campus is a meaningful experience for many students. We want to make sure that yours is safe and fun. To do that, we have taken measures to reduce density in the residence halls, adopted a “Family Unit” approach to room occupancy, updated our policies on guests and fee adjustments, and made changes to mail service. Detailed information on these changes was sent to all residential students on Friday, July 10; and you can read more about them here.
- Commuter Students: Whether you take public transportation or have your own vehicle, your commute may look very different this semester. Additionally, our common spaces on campus may look different, as New York State requires a reduction in capacity. However, please be assured that there will be spaces on campus for you to study or relax between classes. Read more about our special considerations for commuter students.
- Campus Dining: Pace, along with our dining partner, Chartwells, will be implementing new policies in accordance with federal, state, and local regulations, and using industry best practices to keep both the University Community and the Chartwells’ associates healthy. For more information regarding campus dining, see our Campus Dining website.
Student Support and Services
One Strong Pace—and One Resilient Pace
We know Pace students are resilient—you proved it last semester. Your determination and perseverance have been critical to your ability to keep moving forward and to keep learning, discovering, healing, and creating. These same factors are how we will make Pace stronger. As our plans for Fall 2020 are being finalized amid a changing COVID-19 situation, we will keep you informed via our
website
and through our email communications, so please check your Pace email regularly.
Next week, on July 20, we will be hosting a
Community Briefing
via Zoom for all of our students and their families to provide more information about life on campus, life in the residence halls, and what students can expect when they return to campus for Fall 2020. We’ll be providing information on how to attend in the upcoming days, so please check your email and stay tuned into Pace University on social media.
Know that your faculty, staff, and administrators are working hard to make this semester a success—both academically and in regard to health and safety. We look forward to welcoming everyone back to their academic lives as One Strong Pace.
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The Office of the Provost
Pace University
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