Message from the Interim President
Date: 3/5/2021
Dear Park Students:
Before many of you depart for a well-earned Spring Break, I wanted to share some encouraging news about Park’s Plan for Fall 2021.
Over the past twelve months, you have followed safety guidelines. You have worn masks. You have practiced social distancing. Because you have remained Park United, we have persevered as a community throughout this tragic pandemic.
With promising health progress and a decline in the number of COVID-19 cases across the country, we are planning to return to a more normal Fall 2021. What does this mean for you?
- A return to in-person classes;
- More direct contact with your classmates as well as our terrific faculty;
- Cheering on our Pirates and Buccaneers in the bleachers;
- Live performances, activities and events throughout the 2021-22 academic year; and
- In Parkville, increased residence hall occupancy.
I hope you are as excited as I am about Fall 2021, but to reach this goal a more normal Fall 2021, we all must remain diligent. “Keeping Park shipshape” necessitates continuing to follow all recommended safety practices, including wearing masks. I encourage all students to follow closely the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC’s) guidelines.
With campuses in 21 states, we will continue to monitor closely local, state and national developments related to COVID-19 and access to Park facilities on and off military installations. Visit our COVID-19 page for the latest news.
Summer 2021, which begins June 7, will look like the current semester with a combination of hybrid and online classes and in-person labs/studios. While we continue to plan for in-person classes for fall, we will reassess our fall instruction plan on or about July 5.
Keep up the great work, have a safe Spring Break and look for updates over the coming weeks!
Sincerely,
Shane B. Smeed
Interim President