The California State University (CSU) System announced that “it is planning for an anticipated return to delivering courses primarily in-person starting with the Fall 2021 term” on Dec. 9. This announcement came on the heels of another CSU announcement to extend the application deadline for CSU admissions from Nov. 30 to Dec. 15 for Fall 2021.
According to the press release, the reason for the announcement was to continue “efforts to provide current and prospective students and families with information, clarity and time to plan.”
Whether this will have an impact on application numbers it is too soon to say. Chancellor Timothy White mentioned the promising results of vaccines as having an impact. The press release stated “the emerging evidence provides optimism that the upcoming 2021-2022 academic year can be conducted much more in person.”
“The CSU announcement about the plan for an anticipated return to in-person course delivery for the Fall 2021 semester is exciting news that almost every student and faculty member have been waiting for,” said Professor Amir Attia who teaches communication design at California State University, Monterey Bay (CSUMB).
CSUMB first-year computer science major Autumn Benton who started her college experience virtually said, “expecting the return in Fall 2021 to campus is very exciting, and it will be nice to be back in a classroom and lab working face to face with professors and classmates.”
CSUMB also posted the announcement on Instagram and was met with mixed comments. “Best news in the world!!!! So excited for my daughter to actually get to move up there!!!” commented Matt Stratton (@thetoad16), the father of a CSUMB student.
The CSU is optimistic about the fall, but said as for summer “it is too soon to determine what the science will allow for the 2021 Summer term.”
Second-year math major at California Polytechnic University, San Luis Obispo Bella Padavana said, “I think that it is a good thing to be aware of the constant changes and opening in the fall would be nice, but I think blended would be a better start to the move back.”
“We would need to continue to play it by ear,” Padavana said. “Housing should also be limited to prevent too much close contact”.
Padavana’s classmate, second-year kinesiology major Cosette Gibler is also cautiously optimistic about the fall. “I think it’s great the schools are going to open. I’m super excited, but I also don’t want to get my hopes up because there are so many unknowns,” Gibler said. “The vaccine looks super promising so that makes me happy, but also so many things could change before fall.”
Professor Attia added that although the switch to online was challenging, “I will invest the technology, techniques, and experiences gained through the remote mode to enrich these classes and establish communication channels that go beyond the class time limits.”
To stay up to date on the latest from the CSU, students can check their Twitter or news on their website.