InsideNoVa.com: Marymount anticipates restarting in-person classes in fall

Marymount University is developing plans and procedures to reopen in-person instruction starting with the fall semester.
 
“We are looking forward to providing that advantageous environment for learning once again, while also making certain that we have all of the proper measures and procedures in place so that students feel comfortable returning to campus,” university president Irma Becerra said in a May 5 statement detailing plans to move beyond the online-only instruction that has been taking place since the onset of the public-health pandemic.
 
A task force from various departments across the Arlington-based university is meeting regularly to discuss courses of action to ensure health and safety are preserved, Becerra said.
 
The move back to in-person instruction is not guaranteed; Marymount is prepared to “shift again, if needed, to either a temporary online class delivery or a hybrid approach that combines in-person courses with online learning,” officials said.
 
“There are many concerns around how higher education will respond to these uncertain times. Marymount is prepared for the various contingencies that could come our way, and we will be able to adapt to continue meeting our students’ academic goals,” Becerra said.
 
The announcement comes as some institutions of higher learning are facing pressure to either provide in-person coursework, when feasible, or reduce costs to students.
 
During the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, Marymount continued to offer housing, meals and support for students who were unable to get home, and will be providing pro-rated refunds for room, board and parking. Emergency financial assistance also is being provided to students on an as-needed basis, and the university has instituted a grant program for those who register for upcoming graduate-level coursework by May 26.
 
Earlier in the pandemic, the university announced it would cancel its in-person spring commencement exercises, traditionally held at D.A.R. Constitution Hall.
 
Marymount was founded in Arlington in 1950 by the Religious of the Sacred Heart of Mary order of Roman Catholic nuns.

Read the original article on InsideNoVa.com.