IC News

I am so pleased to share with you today that Ithaca College has set a date of Monday, Oct. 5, to begin the 2020-21 academic year in person, on our South Hill campus.

This is a major decision for our IC family, one that aligns with our ongoing, deliberate, and methodical decision-making process throughout this public health crisis. We are continuing to prioritize the health and safety of our college and local communities while being nimble and responsive.

In coming to the decision to open the fall semester on October 5, the senior leadership team and I listened to and collaborated with a variety of stakeholders and leaders, on campus and off. We’ve also clearly heard the voices of our students and their families.

As many of you know, Governor Andrew Cuomo unveiled last week the New York Forward plan, which provides thoughtful and strong metric-based guidance on our state’s reopening. As New York Forward unfolds and as this public health crisis evolves and shifts, we will continue to adhere to guidance and regulations provided at the state level.

Locally, we continue to participate in reopening meetings with Tompkins County officials, the county health department, and leaders within our local medical community. Our thinking around our October opening has also been informed by recommendations from select national and state organizations and groups including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities, American Council on Education, and Commission on Independent Colleges and Universities of New York, and the state’s New York Forward Re-Opening Advisory Board as well as its Restart Plan for Higher Education Task Force.

To help our Ithaca College community work in unison as we move toward the next academic year, we’ve created the Return to Campus Task Force, composed of members of the senior leadership team and our campus community. This task force is charged with ensuring that the appropriate health and safety guidelines are incorporated into all aspects of our college operations as we move ahead. The provost has also charged the Academic Success and Student Engagement Coordinating Committee to ensure that these two critical components of the IC experience — academic success and student engagement — are cohesive and complementary in the 20-21 school year.

As time passes, I know that other institutions and schools may announce that they are planning to open the fall semester sooner than we are. But by putting a stake in the ground — right now — for an October 5 start at Ithaca College, we are intentionally delivering necessary time for all of us to plan, prepare, and thoughtfully align toward a common goal as this public health crisis continues to evolve.