As Adams State University brings to a close its 2020 spring semester, it is working to prepare the campus for the start of the 2020-21 academic year and the return of students to campus for the start of the fall semester.

“Adams State has every intention of resuming in-person classroom instruction in the fall,” said Adams State President Cheryl D. Lovell. “We greatly miss having students, faculty and staff on campus and are eager to return to our ‘normal’ mode of operations.

“Our top priority will always be to protect the health and safety of our campus community members, so we must be very diligent to make sure this decision is supported by local public health agencies and meets all necessary state public health guidance.”

The fall semester is scheduled to begin Aug. 24, 2020. It is a 17-week semester that ends Dec. 18, 2020. Registration for fall courses is available at Adams State University, including courses and degree plans that are fully online.

Over the next several weeks Adams State will be working with community partners and its partners at the state level to make the best decisions for Adams State University and its student body. In June and throughout the summer, Adams State will continue to release additional information and details about the fall semester.

To prepare for the fall semester the University has created a Safe to Return Task Force. The task force will have two working committees: one focused on internal campus processes and the second focused on external community impact.

“We believe with both internal and external stakeholder engagements, we will have a stronger support base and sustainability to allow for the safest and healthiest campus possible,” said President Lovell.

Adams State finished the spring semester with Blackboard-only online instruction following a state of emergency order and guidance issued to campuses of higher education by Gov. Jared Polis on March 11, 2020. It has scheduled a June 6 spring virtual commencement for its spring graduates.

Summer courses being offered in the month of May at Adams State will be through Blackboard online instruction. The initial 6-week summer Maymester begins Monday, May 11 through June 21. The second 6-week summer session is June 22 through July 31.

Adams State is also planning a 3-week summer face-to-face class instruction from June 29 through July 17. Adams State will adjust that session if necessitate by COVID-19 concerns. Summer class registration is available at Summer at Adams.

As it did in the spring semester, Adams State will be prepared to shift to Blackboard instruction if its plans to resume face-to-face classes in the fall are impacted by health and safety concerns related to COVID-19.

“Our preference is to resume in-classroom instruction when the fall semester begins in August,” said President Lovell. “We are excited about our future and remain committed to fostering student achievement, championing practices for lifelong learning and development, advocating for equity and inclusion, engaging in innovation and creativity, and exemplifying operational excellence.”