Presbyterian College to Begin Fall Classes Early, Makes Other Changes to Calendar

Press Release

Classes for undergraduate students at Presbyterian College will begin a week earlier than planned this fall. PC’s fall semester will begin on Monday, Aug. 17 instead of August 24. 

This change and others to the academic calendar have been made with the health and safety of those in the campus community in mind, according to PC Provost Dr. Don Raber.

“We are working carefully and thoroughly on how to manage public spaces on campus, how to address needs for personal protective equipment (PPE) and procedures for physical distancing, and what measures are required to deliver a first-quality academic program that offers the personal connections faculty, students, and staff treasure yet recognizes our top priority always will be the safety and health of our community in a highly uncertain environment,” Raber wrote in an email to students, faculty and staff.

The early start date is one of many adjustments PC is making amid the pandemic. In the letter, Raber also noted that:

• There will be no fall break this year.
• Classes for the fall term will end on Friday, Nov. 20.
• Final exams will occur on campus from the afternoon of Sunday, Nov. 22 through mid-day on Wednesday, Nov. 25.
• Students will not return to campus after Thanksgiving, Nov. 26, until the start of the spring term, currently slated for Tuesday, Jan. 5. If the spring semester dates change, the College will provide ample notice to students, faculty and staff.

“We are modifying the fall 2020 undergraduate academic calendar to minimize travel during the semester, to recognize our current operating environment in the summer, and to provide extra flexibility in the late autumn and early winter if that environment changes,” Raber wrote.

The College has made other date changes to accommodate the updated calendar:

• Virtual orientation meetings for the incoming class occurring online will be completed by Friday, July 3. In-person orientation meetings will be held on campus on dates coinciding with new student resident move-in dates to be announced. Virtual New Student Orientation provides meaningful programs and opportunities to support the transition and engagement of new students to the academic, cultural, and social environment of PC.
• Registration for incoming students will begin at 7 a.m. on Thursday, July 9.
• PC is modifying processes for new and returning student resident move-in on campus, to begin a week before classes begin.
• Reporting dates for fall sport student-athletes may shift slightly due to the revised fall semester calendar. The letter urged fall sport student-athletes scheduled to return to campus for preseason team training activities prior to the start of classes to watch for communications from the Athletic Department about potential new dates to return to campus.
• Opening Convocation will occur virtually on Friday, Aug. 21. The time is to be determined. The dates and times for other Week of Welcome events will also change, and many events that would normally gather large numbers of students together may occur in the virtual realm instead. In the latter, Raber noted that the College will provide more information as those events and activities (such as New Student Assessment) are finalized.

The changes to the calendar are PC’s most recent adjustments caused by the pandemic. Raber says that more adjustments may still be made.

“To ensure that faculty, students, and staff engage each other in meaningful ways once classes on campus resume this fall, we will provide additional information throughout the next few weeks about housing, classroom life, athletic practices and events, and other aspects of the campus experience,” Raber wrote.

“As we’ve said before, we continue to monitor the world around us, and we will not hesitate to be flexible when circumstances require that.”

Please visit Coronavirus Updates and Resources on the PC website for future updates and to see the adjustments PC has made during the pandemic.

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