Oregon State University announced Wednesday that it is planning for a more traditional fall term, anticipating predominantly in-person instruction and on-site university services and programs at all its campuses, including the Hatfield Marine Science Center in Newport.
“The significant increase in COVID-19 vaccine production on a national level and Gov. Kate Brown’s recent announcement detailing the distribution of vaccines among all Oregonians, including within higher education, are very good news,” said OSU President F. King Alexander. “These developments provide me with the confidence that we are on our way back to a more traditional fall term with predominately in-person instruction, on-site research, engagement and extracurricular programs and activities at our locations throughout the state.”
Thursday’s announcement comes nearly a year after the pandemic led OSU to transition to primarily remote instruction and work for its more than 33,000 students and more than 7,000 employees at campuses in Corvallis and Bend, the Hatfield Marine Science Center in Newport, Extension centers and other university centers and facilities throughout the state.
Alexander said in the coming weeks, university leaders will provide more detailed information on what to expect for fall term, assuming continued progress in reducing positive COVID-19 cases and the broad distribution of vaccines.
Oregon State will continue to comply with local, state and federal health guidelines, said Dan Larson, OSU’s COVID-19 response coordinator and vice provost for student affairs. These include continuing to employ public health measures, such as wearing masks, engaging in physical distancing, reducing gathering sizes and, and utilizing frequent COVID-19 testing to identify positive cases within the OSU community.
