The South Dakota Board of Regents announced its commitment to on-campus operations this fall, with resumption of face-to-face teaching and learning across the public university and special schools’ system.
“The COVID-19 pandemic dictated an unprecedented change this spring in the way we teach, learn, and work, requiring faculty, students, and staff to adapt in extraordinary ways,” said Regents President John W. Bastian. “While our institutions will successfully complete the spring and summer semesters, under conditions that none of us could anticipate, we all must turn attention to a new academic year beginning this fall.”
In discussions among regents’ staff, public university presidents, and the special school superintendents, all have made a commitment to operate on campus and to safely resume face-to-face teaching and learning in fall 2020, Bastian said.
Regents’ and campus officials said they will be guided by safety, science, and the institutions’ educational mission, with a priority to balance the significant value of on-campus teaching and learning with an equal responsibility to protect community health and safety. Recognizing that university and special school administrators must be prepared to react quickly to an evolving public health challenge, and that some aspects of a campus experience may look different going forward, each campus has the authority to adjust certain operational details for their institution, academic programs, and community circumstances.
Pandemic planning will continue in the months ahead, with campus-specific details and protocols to be announced. University-specific news releases and websites will have up-to-date information on the status of campus operations.
The South Dakota Board of Regents is the constitutional governing body for Black Hills State University, Dakota State University, Northern State University, South Dakota School of Mines & Technology, South Dakota State University, University of South Dakota, South Dakota School for the Blind & Visually Impaired, and South Dakota School for the Deaf.
