University of Georgia releases tentative plans for reopening classrooms

For UGA, the tentative plan aims to resume business as usual for the fall semester beginning in August.

On Wednesday, University of Georgia president Jere Morehead addressed students and university employees with an open letter addressing the school’s plans to return to face-to-face instruction. 

Collegiate athletics came to an abrupt halt due to public health concerns, but the universities that those teams represent have been forced to quickly determine the best course of action in continuing the education of their student body.

Sure, football’s spring games were nixed, the baseball season got axed right at the start of conference play, and the men’s and women’s basketball tournaments were canceled before the conference tournaments even had a chance to conclude (or, for some teams, before conference tournaments even got a chance to start).

It results in a huge loss of revenue for conferences and individual schools alike, but regarding academics, school officials have equally pressing concerns.

For UGA, the tentative plan aims to resume business as usual for the fall semester beginning in August. Morehead stated that the university is currently in the planning stages of transitioning campus operations back to normal.

Per the letter from the office of Jere Morehead:

"I have established nine working groups to begin evaluating a smooth transition to full operations here at UGA. These working groups will address workplace and health safety, instruction, research, public service and outreach, student life, enrollment management, athletics, communications, and fiscal impact. The groups are being led by senior administrators and involve nearly 140 members of our faculty and staff."

As UGA students prepare their spring semester finals via laptop, those enrolling in summer classes are now slated to do the same. Graduation ceremonies will also be teleconferenced. Even while aiming for a fall reopening, the status is fluid:

"Guidance [from public health officials] could be subject to change, even after our plans are put in place. We will need to remain flexible and patient as we move forward."

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