Franklin Pierce University will delay resuming in-person classes until Jan. 26, instead beginning the semester online for a week.
According to university Director of Communications Kathryn Grosso Gann, online classes are still set to begin Jan. 19, with a week of online learning for returning students.
“The identification of the Omicron variant in late 2021, its subsequent growth as the dominant variant in the United States, and the increased rate of both transmission and infection have necessitated an adapted approach to the start of Franklin Pierce’s spring semester,” said Grosso Gann.
The plan to delay the return to in-person classes was finalized last week, according to Grosso Gann, as the administration “continued to evaluate the evolving COVID-19 landscape.”
In an effort to mitigate possible spread, the university is also requiring returning students to arrive on campus with a negative test.
“By delaying in-person instruction for one week, we are providing our students additional time to acquire those results,” Grosso Gann said.
A host of other mitigation strategies will be in place on the university campus through the end of the month, along with the school’s previously instituted vaccine requirement and testing protocols. According to Grosso Gann, the university’s community has a vaccination rate of over 96%.
Other mitigation strategies in place include mandated masking in all classrooms and indoor public settings, a suspension of social gatherings and overnight guest registration and campus dining options being narrowed to grab-and-go only. These protocols have an end date of Jan. 30, but could be extended, according to Grosso Gann.
“The university will re-assess its plans as the semester progresses and will continue to make decisions that are in the best interest of our students, faculty and staff,” she said.