Ohio Northern University announced that it intends to return to a full on-campus experience this fall.
It will do so by relying on public health guidance and working with state and local officials to pursue learning, living and working on campus as close to, if not at, pre-pandemic levels.
“The University is committed to providing our students with an optimal educational environment and looks forward to returning to a traditional semester calendar as well as continuing in-person learning, on-campus living and campus events and activities. Our priorities are to keep students, faculty and staff safe and learning at the highest level,” President Daniel DiBiasio explains.
Fall 2021 is expected to look more like normal campus operations for many reasons. The University’s successful response to implementing in-person education during this 2020-2021 academic year is one reason for that confidence.
Robust safety protocols for cleaning, testing, tracing, quarantining and isolating have allowed ONU to remain effectively operational, and it is continuing to rely on faculty and staff in the Raabe College of Pharmacy and in other allied health fields for their expertise to provide the latest science-based knowledge.
Ohio Northern also has benefited greatly from the high level of compliance to these safety measures by students, faculty and staff.
Another reason for hope in the fight against this virus is the availability and accessibility of vaccines. ONU’s HealthWise Mobile Clinic and the College of Pharmacy are taking the lead in sponsoring vaccination clinics on campus and within the region.
The University is one of the four mobile clinics in the Ohio Governor Mike DeWine’s Mass Vaccination Program statewide. In addition, ONU is grateful that so many members of its community are getting vaccinated by utilizing such great resources.
Thus, ONU anticipates a fall semester where the entire campus community can once again come together to create a safe and healthy environment for face-to-face learning.
“Plans for Fall semester may have to be adjusted as this health crisis evolves and as updated information becomes available pertaining to state and federal guidance and regulations,” DiBiasio points out.
“As we have all year, we’ll need to be patient, flexible, and resilient in order to protect ourselves and each other and sustain ONU’s health, safety and academic success.”
