The University of Rhode Island will welcome back students, faculty and staff to our campuses this fall semester. Preparations for our students’ return have been underway to ensure our Rhody community can come back to campus this fall, with each of us playing a role to protect each other’s health and wellness. Our goal is to provide the highest-quality academic experience for our students in a manner that ensures their continued success and fully supports their timely degree completion.

We cannot take our focus off the need to educate and graduate the ever-growing number of URI students who are eager to take on the challenges present in our nation and across the world. Please be reassured that the URI preparations for fall semester have been carefully coordinated with and reviewed by the Rhode Island Department of Health and align with recently published U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines for higher education reopenings.

Academic Plans

For the 2020/2021 academic year, classes will be offered in the modalities that have existed previously- in-person, blended, and online. A portion of courses must be offered online to reduce the number of people in classrooms, mitigate risks, and promote a healthy environment on campus for all; these include large classes where proper physical distancing is not possible. Distinctive classes, such as capstone designs, studios, the performing arts, lab courses, graduate programs, etc. will be offered in-person whenever feasible. In addition, accelerating our 21st Century Classroom initiative, the University is investing heavily this summer in state-of-the-art learning software applications and advanced synchronous technology in most of our classrooms to support the URI virtual learning environment.

The academic plans for the fall represent a giant step forward and include strategic investments in moving URI toward the 24/7 learning strategy and approach articulated in the President’s Transformational Goals. Carefully designed and reduced density in-person instruction will be a critical component of instruction this fall and will be supplemented by online and blended teaching and learning. High-quality online learning will be part of higher education and URI in the future and is a teaching/learning modality that will only expand, improve, and innovate over time. We are pleased to bring some of these innovations to URI during fall 2020.

Hundreds of faculty have or will have taken one or more of the online pedagogy or bootcamp trainings offered by the Office for the Advancement of Teaching and Learning in May or throughout the summer, resulting in a significant enhancement in online and blended pedagogy. This advancement in teaching has inspired new seminars and courses addressing critical contemporary issues of interest and concern to students, such as pandemics, mental health, career exploration pathways, racism and injustice, and much more. While all faculty will be fully engaged in their teaching responsibilities, there will be flexibility for faculty to choose pedagogical options that best suit their teaching strengths and accommodate their unique health circumstances and vulnerabilities.

As plans are finalized, information will be sent to faculty and students regarding any changes to their class schedules, mode of class instruction, and details on how to request accommodations if needed.

Student Support Services

Students will be able to fully access advising, tutoring, career and internship services, and counseling both in-person and virtually. Numerous opportunities for undergraduate research, honors courses and projects, and an array of new seminars on contemporary topics will engage our students throughout the semester.

Most students may have a mix of in-person and blended courses. There will be flexibility to customize programs that accommodate the needs and preferences of students, including those in special situations who may benefit from a fully remote or a fully in-person semester.
Plans continue to be finalized and more information will become available during the summer so that students can take advantage of these options when they return to URI in the fall.

Health Expectations

To achieve the goals set forth in the academic plans for the fall semester, the University has outlined the health and safety expectations for every member of our community. These expectations are paramount and essential to a successful fall semester and are applicable to every member of the Rhody community. We look forward to launching a public health campaign this summer to reinforce the responsibility each of us has to take care of ourselves and, in doing so, help to keep our community healthy in the midst of a global pandemic.

Some of the health and safety steps will include:

• Wellness/health screenings that will require individuals to conduct symptom monitoring every day before coming to campus.
• A carefully designed and robust testing plan to monitor the health of our community and minimize the likelihood of outbreaks.
• Cloth face coverings/face masks to be worn by all community members, including faculty/staff and students when on campus and in the presence of others (e.g., classrooms, meeting rooms, common work spaces, etc.). Appropriate use of face coverings is critical to minimizing risks to others near you.
• Frequent handwashing with soap and water for 20 seconds or using alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol throughout the day, but particularly after you have been in public places, or after blowing your nose, coughing, sneezing or touching your face. New hand sanitizing stations are being added to many locations throughout our campuses.
• Physical distancing, one of the best tools we have to avoid exposure to the COVID-19 virus and slow the spread in our community. Stay at least 6 feet (about 2 arms’ length) from other people at all times. And limit group gatherings based on current state recommendations in the fall.

Physical Space Reconfiguration

Teams of staff and faculty are redesigning and reconfiguring classrooms, lecture halls, dining locations, campus recreation facilities, athletic complexes, and other areas on our campuses. These building changes will help reinforce the physical distancing and group size recommendations of the CDC and State of Rhode Island. We will continue to provide updates and examples of how the on-campus learning environment is being reconfigured throughout the summer.

Campus Life Preparations

Given the challenges of this pandemic and the need to carefully monitor the health and wellness of the URI community, there will be a number of changes to the look and feel of the campus this fall. Nevertheless, we are pleased to welcome students, staff, and faculty back to the campus and the URI experience that is a hallmark of our community.

While plans are underway to reduce the number of students living in on-campus housing, the residence halls will be open. Additionally, dining services are reconfiguring the dining halls and creating alternative dining strategies to support physical distancing. Announcements will be made in the coming days about how these changes to on-campus housing and dining will be managed.

Campus recreation and athletic complexes are preparing for students to return to many of the activities that have been available previously. However, limitations on group sizes, reconfiguration of spaces, and alternate schedules and hours of operations are being considered. More details about these on campus opportunities will be shared throughout the summer.

For those of us who love our University, the goal is NOT to simply get through this crisis and survive, but rather to emerge as a better and stronger institution prepared for a new vibrant future. Well-designed online and blended learning offer many advantages for student learning, especially when combined with in-person learning to foster the intellectual and personal connections that are such a central part of the university experience. University leadership, faculty, and staff are committed to supporting our students to advance their academic goals and help them complete their degrees even during these challenging times.

We are also committed to safeguarding the health of the URI community. Please know that we are fully aware of and continue to carefully monitor the dynamic nature of this virus and the transmission patterns locally, nationally and globally. While we cannot guarantee that there will not be any new cases of COVID-19 this fall, our plans are designed to mitigate risk of infection and require the cooperation of the entire URI Community. At this time, progress in Rhode Island and in our community is very encouraging. If virus conditions were to change, we are prepared to act accordingly.

Now, maybe more than ever, URI students are eager to continue their education to contribute to the global challenges of the 21st century. It’s imperative that the University community do all that we can within the limitations imposed by the pandemic to support our students so they can be successful. The URI community will be ready to take on the challenges that may emerge this fall. We know we will always be Rhody Strong!

If you have questions please take advantage of this online form to submit your questions and someone will be in contact with you.