College Update — Roadmap for Reopening: Plans for Fall 2020
ShareMonday, June 15, 2020
A Special Message from Sandy Shugart, Valencia College President
As we continue to formalize our plans to reopen our campuses, I want to provide you with an update on where we are with planning for the fall term.
Across the College, teams have been working collaboratively on a phased approach to plan how Valencia will reopen. Already, in Phase 1, we have been able to transition courses online, while also allowing a very limited number of programs to continue to run on campus, such as our School of Public Safety programs, Accelerated Skills Training and a few others where the curricula can neither be delivered, nor assessed, remotely. As we carefully monitor the on-campus experiences of these programs, we continue to make plans for reopening by considering our current operations, feedback from you and our students, and the best information available at present from our federal, state and local health authorities.
While plans are still being finalized, we have made considerable progress on developing our Roadmap for Reopening, which will inform our approach to resuming on-campus activities. Our goal and our priority remains focused on providing a safe and healthy environment for faculty, staff and students and preserving the continuity of learning.
We are fortunate to partner with Orlando Health to help us develop a science-based approach for our reopening plans. I invite you to watch this video to learn more about where we are in our planning, and to hear feedback from Orlando Health on our plans.
As we move into Phase 2 on Saturday, August 1, 2020, most of our work, courses and programs will continue to operate remotely. With some of the current models forecasting a possible second wave of COVID-19 in the fall, our approach will help us continue to provide high-quality learning experiences, while minimizing abrupt disruptions in our academic continuity, if a second wave does indeed occur. For an overview of what programs will be offered on site, click here.
Please know that our plans are living documents, meaning that they will be updated in response to new guidance as we continue to monitor the coronavirus and consult with Orlando Health. As we implement plans for reopening, we will keep you informed of our current state and invite you to conversations to discuss and provide feedback on our plans. Up-to-date information on our most current plans will be available on our new Roadmap for Reopening website.
I encourage you to check the website for updates, stay tuned to your email and engage in upcoming town halls to learn more, ask questions and provide feedback. Details on the town halls will be announced in The Juice and The Grove tomorrow.
Thank you for all of your hard work during these unprecedented times. I deeply appreciate all of the creativity, collaboration and thoughtful planning that you all have demonstrated, as well as the care and concern you have shown to each other and to our students. I look forward to working with you all to make this a successful fall semester.
Continue to take care of yourselves and your families, and remember that we will get through this together.
