President Bateman's message to faculty and staff about the College's reopening plan

Dear faculty and staff,

As I mentioned in a previous communication, the state is requiring all colleges and universities to submit plans for in-person instruction and reopening to the State Council of Higher of Education, which it will then review and certify.

Reopening plans are expected to address a school’s ability to safely monitor and contain new cases, ensure students can safely return to and from campus, and transition back to remote learning if the state enforces another shutdown, among other details.

Randolph has submitted its plan and made it available on our College website https://www.randolphcollege.edu/covid19/campus-reopening-plan/

This reopening plan provides a strong foundation from which we will move to return to on-campus education this fall and is the result of much hard work. However, I must reiterate that this plan is not final, nor is it all-encompassing. In fact, it remains fluid as we continue to navigate the ever-changing landscape that is COVID-19. We will be updating this plan in the coming weeks as more details are available, or as guidance from the state and health departments dictate changes. We will also continue to provide communications as additional decisions and plans are made.

While it does provide a framework for our reopening, the plan will not answer every question you may have at this point. We have made numerous decisions about campus life, but we still await further guidance for many other elements, including athletic schedules. In a perfect world, we would have all our questions answered and every detail finalized. But if we have learned anything from this pandemic situation, it is that a perfect world does not exist.

For example, at this time, we are anticipating a return to on-campus instruction in the fall. However, I would be remiss not to mention that it is still possible that we could be forced to move to online learning should the explosion of COVID-19 continue to worsen across the United States. This is not an ideal circumstance, obviously, but the health and safety of our community will continue to remain at the forefront for all of our decisions moving forward.

In order to be successful, we must remain flexible, adaptable, and ready to adjust as conditions change. Our faculty, staff, and students have proven this ability time and time again—especially recently. And I am most grateful for the patience of our community during such a stressful period of time.

My best,

Brad