Statement by USM Chancellor Jay A. Perman on Planning for a Return to Campus This Fall
Baltimore, Md. (May 7, 2020) -- As our spring semester of remote learning winds down, attention has rightly turned to what our fall semester will look like, whether the University System of Maryland (USM) will be able to resume in-person instruction, and what conditions must exist—within the state and on and around each campus—if we are to do that. Our primary consideration in planning for a fall return is the health and safety of the USM’s students, faculty, and staff, as well as our university neighbors.
As I announced last week, I’ve convened a Return to Campus Advisory Group to examine how on-campus instruction might be accomplished this fall, and how it would affect aspects of our institutions’ academic and administrative operations. The group—made up of university-based leaders across the USM—is assessing the feasibility and consequences of various return-to-campus scenarios, outlining what’s needed to support each, and recommending an optimal course of action.
We will comply with all state and federal laws and executive orders, and with all public health guidelines. We will aim for solidarity among our institutions balanced by their very real need for flexibility, because how our universities and regional centers meet the conditions we establish will vary campus-to-campus.
Interest in our return-to-campus plans is especially high among prospective, incoming, and returning students. So that these students and their families may make informed decisions about fall enrollment, we will share our plans for the fall in the coming weeks. These plans may be adjusted as assumptions and conditions change.
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Contact: Mike Lurie
Phone: 301.445.2719
Email: mlurie@usmd.edu
