Plans for the Fall 2020 Semester
This is an archived message. Please check the most recent updates to ensure you have the most current information.
Released: April 29, 2020 at 1:48 p.m. PDT
Dear Members of the Whitman Community,
As states start to reopen and restrictions are slowly being lifted here in our own state of Washington, many of you have been asking about how Whitman College is thinking about the fall semester. For those of you who did not see my announcement in “Whitman Today” I wanted to let you know that we have every intention of reopening in the fall with in-person instruction on campus in Walla Walla unless the federal, state or local government continues to advise against it.
On-campus instruction may look different from what it has looked like in fall semesters of the past. We will likely need to continue to practice physical distancing. Classes may need to meet in larger rooms in order to have appropriate distance between students. We will need to be prepared to provide remote learning opportunities for students with underlying health conditions or facing travel restrictions. It’s possible we will need to house students in single rooms. We may have to wear masks.
Just as we had teams of faculty and staff planning for weeks for our transition to online learning, teams have been making contingency plans for many of the possibilities we could be facing this fall with the health and safety of our community as the priority. But, again, the plan is to be on campus for in-person instruction.
On Friday I let the class of 2020 know that we will be celebrating their accomplishments at Whitman with a virtual commencement that will happen on May 24. I hope the entire campus community will join me to celebrate this resilient class that will be joining the ranks of our alumni in a very different way than they anticipated when they first stepped foot on campus four years ago.
It’s hard to believe that we are a month into virtual learning and that there are just a few weeks left in the semester. I am immensely proud of the work that went into making such a monumental shift in how we teach, learn and operate here at Whitman College. I’ve seen our faculty spend countless hours reworking their classes to create the best possible virtual experience for students. I’ve seen students learning in new ways – ways that were sometimes uncomfortable and very difficult – and creating new ways to connect with their classmates. I’ve seen staff find creative approaches to their jobs, to support student learning, and to communicate even though we can’t be together on campus. I’ve seen every member of our community persevere through a pandemic like nothing we have seen in our lifetimes.
From the very beginning of this crisis we have prioritized two things: the health and safety of our community and advancing our mission of student learning. It has helped pave the way to our successes this semester and we’ll continue to focus on those two goals as we make decisions in the future. As we move forward into the summer, I will keep you updated as plans for the fall solidify.
I eagerly anticipate welcoming you all back to campus, along with an entirely new class – the class of 2024, who will join the Whitman Community amidst all the uncertainty. Through all the noise they saw something special in Whitman, and that speaks to what a special place this is.
Take good care,
Kathy