Clemson announces online start to fall classes

by TigerNet Staff - Wed Jul 22 15:25:48 GMT-04:00 2020

Clemson University announced a new plan for the start of the 2020-21 academic calendar on Wednesday.

The school said that they will start the first four weeks of the semester with online classes.

"We have made great progress toward that goal and I am enormously proud of the work our faculty and staff have done," Clemson president Jim Clements said via news release. "Let me be clear: We remain committed to a return to in-person instruction and activities in the fall. Unfortunately, the progression of COVID-19, particularly in South Carolina and the Upstate region, continues to create a great deal of uncertainty around bringing students back to our campuses and beginning in-person instruction in August.

"As a result, today I am announcing Clemson University will begin the fall semester online and will delay in-person instruction until Sept. 21. The semester will begin as scheduled on Aug. 19 with online instruction. No other changes to the academic calendar will be made at this time.

"Move-in for students living on campus is now scheduled to begin Sept. 13 and all current restrictions on campus gatherings and events will remain in place until further notice."

Clemson football players have been on campus since late May for voluntary-and-now mandatory workouts. As of its last ruling, the NCAA is allowing more on-field team workouts starting July 24 and camp practices on Aug. 7.

More from Clements:

Wearing a face covering will help slow the spread of COVID-19.

I would encourage everyone – but especially our students living in and around Clemson: Wear a mask and keep your distance from others whenever possible. Remember, we’re “All In” this together and only by being united as Tigers can we slow the spread of COVID-19 in our area.

We realize this decision will lead to questions from many of our students, parents and employees. We are already hard at work preparing communications to various stakeholders and will endeavor to provide as many answers as quickly as possible. Additional information can be found at our COVID-19 web site, which will be updated regularly.

Additionally, I will continue to communicate with the Clemson Family on a regular basis. Please know that our focus remains on providing an outstanding education for our students in a manner that safeguards our employees, students and communities to the greatest extent possible.

We feel this is the safest course of action for our Clemson community. And I want to reiterate that Clemson remains fully committed to providing an in-person experience for all our students this fall – especially our new students whom I know are anxious to begin creating their own Clemson memories and our students who will be graduating in December.

To our students and parents, we very much appreciate your flexibility and patience as we navigate these uncharted waters. To our amazing faculty and staff, my sincere thanks for the outstanding planning and work you continue to do every day on behalf of Clemson.