Dear SCS Community:
I hope you and your loved ones are safe and well during this time. The city of Washington, DC, has transitioned into Phase One of its four-stage ReOpen DC plan, and we’ve seen things cautiously begin to open up again in our region. As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to evolve, Georgetown University has been closely assessing the risks that come with welcoming our community back to our campuses around Washington.
While the School of Continuing Studies is coordinated with the plans outlined in President DeGioia’s message on fall planning, we have decided that the SCS campus at 640 Massachusetts Avenue NW will remain in a remote learning environment for all courses offered during the fall semester. This means that all classes currently scheduled to be offered on-campus will be offered in a remote format.
As much as we would like to open up our building and welcome you back for classes in the fall, a deep analysis into our full- and part-time course offerings, student population, and concentrated evening class schedule have led us to this difficult decision.
Although this means we will not hold any in-person classes or large events at the School of Continuing Studies’ downtown building, there is potential to consider hosting smaller-scale co-curricular activities at some point during the fall semester. Any decisions made of this nature will be aligned with the requirements of the District of Columbia and will be subject to approval from the District before we proceed. We will continue to examine what we may be able to do safely and will be in touch in the coming months.
We recognize this remote format is an adjustment for everyone, and I would like to express my gratitude for the cooperation and flexibility I’ve witnessed across the board since mid-March. Students, faculty, and staff alike have demonstrated inspiring levels of creativity and enthusiasm given the challenges we have faced, and I could not be more proud.
Thank you again for your dedication and understanding. If you have any questions about how this decision may impact your individual situation, please be in touch with your academic program team. For our international students, your international student advisor will be in touch in the coming days with more information on how this decision will impact your coursework this fall.
We look forward to resuming on-campus classes, events, and operations soon, but in the meantime, we are excited to welcome you back for the fall semester in a remote format with the same commitment to a standard of academic excellence that we have strived to uphold.
All my best,
Kelly J. Otter, PhD
Dean
School of Continuing Studies
Georgetown University