Elmhurst College has announced that in-person, campus-based learning and living will resume in August, as the campus begins its first academic year as Elmhurst University.
“We believe the best Elmhurst experience is an on-campus experience,” said President Troy D. VanAken. “It is personal, student-focused, lived in an atmosphere of community, and defined by how we look out for each other and tackle challenges together.”
Students will be welcomed back to campus in a way that prioritizes their safety and well-being while offering the best education possible.
A number of leadership groups, including the Board of Trustees and the College’s COVID-19 Task Force, are developing and executing the plans.
These are some of the areas that will be addressed:
- The return to an in-person campus experience will require additional public-health precautions in classrooms, residence halls, and dining and athletic facilities. Elmhurst will expand its capacities to offer testing, contact tracing, sanitization and other health-safety protocols in order to respond quickly to any cases that may arise.
- The College will continue to work closely with the City of Elmhurst, Elmhurst Hospital, the DuPage County Health Department and other health partners at the local, state and federal levels.
- As a college that has always been committed to offering small classes (the average class size is 18 students), Elmhurst may be better positioned than larger institutions to abide by any physical distancing policies that may be in effect, and to accommodate Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) best practices.
- Nationally recognized for the quality of its teaching, Elmhurst will continue to develop innovative, flexible and robust learning options for its students.
- Understanding the ongoing economic impact of the crisis, Elmhurst will offer enhanced financial aid opportunities for the hardest-hit families, and will continue to raise money for the Bluejay Nest Fund, the student emergency fund.
In anticipation of students’ return to campus in the fall, significant improvement projects are going ahead for some campus facilities. The College also will proceed with the highly anticipated launch of new academic programs in cybersecurity and public health, two programs that have never been more relevant in today’s highly interconnected world.
“As developments continue to unfold, we remain committed to maintaining the safety and well-being of our campus community, as well as the broader society to which we all belong,” President VanAken said. “We look forward to seeing our students on campus in the fall.”
The most recent information on Elmhurst College’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic is available at elmhurst.edu/covid19.