Dear USF Community,
I hope that you and your families are staying healthy. Today I wish to share with you an important update to the academic calendar for the Fall 2020 semester.
Our commitment to you, since the beginning of the COVID-19 challenge, has been to make decisions regarding university operations that prioritize the health and safety of our students, faculty and staff. With that in mind, we are making changes to the calendar after Thanksgiving break that are designed to mitigate the potential spread of COVID-19.
As I have said previously, we intend to offer some face-to-face classes in the fall. We have decided that after Thanksgiving, however, all classes and final exams will be delivered in a quality online format. These modifications are intended to avoid potentially thousands of students, faculty and staff from returning to our campuses after traveling for the holiday. A full array of support services, such as advising, tutoring and counseling, will continue to be available to students remotely during this transition near the end of the fall semester.
USF Adjusted Fall 2020 Calendar:
| Original | New | |
|---|---|---|
| First Day of Fall Semester | Aug. 24 | Aug. 24 |
| Last Day of Classes on Campus | Dec. 4 | Nov. 25 |
| Thanksgiving Break | Nov. 26-27 | Nov. 26-27 |
| Classes Only Online | N/A | Nov. 30-Dec. 4 |
| Final Exams | Dec. 5-10 | Dec. 5-10 (online only) |
| Last Day of Fall Semester | Dec. 10 | Dec. 10 |
Although classes will not be held on Labor Day or Veterans Day, we encourage students, faculty and staff to avoid travel around each of these holidays.
Residence halls and dining options will remain open after Thanksgiving break for students who need access until the end of the fall semester.
USF’s fall commencement ceremonies are still under consideration. Plans are being developed with considerations to the safety of traveling back to campus and guidance from federal, state, and local government and public health officials regarding resuming large events.
I wish to thank the USF COVID-19 Task Force and the USF System Faculty Council for the valuable input they have provided to my leadership team as we’ve carefully evaluated changes to the academic calendar.
As I have shared with you in previous messages, when we determine it’s appropriate to proceed with phasing in more on-campus operations, you can expect there will be modifications and precautions in place to promote health and safety, such as requiring face coverings, limiting the number of individuals gathered in any one area and enhancing cleaning protocols.
Rest assured we are focused on more completely developing our plans for the fall and we look forward to providing additional updates soon.
I continue to be deeply impressed by the creative and compassionate ways our students, faculty and staff are adapting to the current situation. It’s precisely how a world-class university like USF can overcome any challenge.
Sincerely,
Steven C. Currall
President and Professor