From President Frank H. Wu and Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Elizabeth Hendrey:

As you are aware, New York State is committed to reopening now that vaccinations are widely available and the number of cases of COVID-19 has decreased. This is unequivocally good news. So many of us have struggled over the past year—emotionally, financially, practically—as we have dealt with working while caring for our families, and it is a relief to hear that the situation is improving. In light of these changing conditions, in addition to adding hybrid courses, we are working to with faculty to provide fully in-person courses for students during the Fall 2021 semester. We are hopeful that this will be a positive development for many of you.

Please note that all courses in Fall 2021, even in-person courses, will conduct the first class session online so instructors can discuss safety protocols and explain how the class will be conducted for the semester. If a rise in coronavirus cases or other circumstances should necessitate a move to fully online learning, we will know at the start of the semester if students in each course have the necessary access to learn remotely.

Courses will be conducted in the following formats:

  • In-person courses: first class online, the remainder in person.

  • Hybrid courses:
  1. courses where some sessions will be on campus (conducted with the required level of physical distancing and masking) and some sessions will be online (synchronous or asynchronous)
  2. courses that will have in-person exams but otherwise meet online
  3. courses that require in-person experiences that will take place off campus (student teaching, internships, fieldtrips, etc.)
  4. courses that will require a visit to campus to pick up or return materials.

  • Fully online: either synchronous online sessions, which meet for class sessions in real time at the specified days and times, or asynchronous online sessions, which do not have regular online class sessions.

Governor Cuomo has announced that vaccination will be required for all in-person CUNY students. There will also likely be COVID-19 testing on campus; details will be forthcoming. We are continually planning for a safe environment for all. We will be vigilantly monitoring for any cases of coronavirus and are ready to revert to distance learning if necessary. As always, we will follow scientifically-based recommendations from CUNY, New York State, and the federal Centers for Disease Control (CDC). This will include masking and social distancing guidance.

We will be communicating with the campus community regularly to share information about the Fall 2021 semester. Please continue to check your QC email. We have a Fall 2021 briefing scheduled for Friday, May 21 from 11 am to 12 noon (registration closes May 20 at 10 am; register at http://bit.ly/Fall2021QCBriefings) and anticipate adding more dates for further sessions. A set of listening sessions will also be scheduled, to hear from you about concerns regarding returning to campus life. The college is engaged with CUNY in reviewing HVAC systems as part of our building preparations for the fall semester. We expect to have community updates as part of this effort as soon as information is available.

We appreciate your patience and cooperation as we move towards providing you with more in-person opportunities. Stay safe and well.
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