Topeka, Kan. – Washburn University is resuming in-person classes on February 1 as the result of significant improvements in key areas in the community transmission severity index in Shawnee County. Those indicators included a significant reduction in the number of new cases. Based on the information provided by Shawnee County, Washburn University determined it was possible to resume in-person classes.
Juliann Mazachek, vice president of academic affairs, made the announcement this afternoon in a notice to students, faculty and staff. In the message, she noted that classes will be delivered in a variety of different formats during the semester including both a traditional lecture format and hybrid-partial web delivery as well as those already slated for remote or online delivery.
When the university made its plan to begin the semester with remote delivery, Mazachek said that the decision would be reviewed weekly with an eye to returning to in-person classes as soon as conditions improved. As before, this decision affects the Washburn University Campus including the Washburn School of Law. Decisions about the class schedule at the Washburn Institute of Technology (Washburn Tech) are made separately.
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Ed note – a copy of the message to the campus community is attached.
Please note that this letter is specific to the operations of Washburn University, including the School of Law. This letter does not apply to operations of Washburn Institute of Technology.
Dear Washburn community:
Last week, I announced that Washburn University would begin the first two weeks of the Spring 2021 semester with all remote learning classes in response to worsening community transmission of COVID-19 in Shawnee County. At that time, we also committed to conducting a weekly review of the Shawnee County Community Transmission Scorecard in order to determine the best time to return to in-person learning.
Fortunately, this week’s scorecard shows significant improvement in key areas, including a significant reduction in new cases. Based on this information, Washburn University will resume in-person classes on Monday, February 1.
Please note that Washburn University is utilizing five different modalities for course delivery this semester and the return to in-person instruction applies only to those spring semester courses with the instructional methods traditional lecture format or hybrid-partial web delivery, as found in the Spring 2021 Course Schedule. Those courses with remote or online methods will not be in taught in a physical classroom. Students should consult with their instructors if they have questions about their particular course and its instructional method.
For those courses being taught in-person, we look forward to welcoming our faculty and students back to the classroom environment on February 1. Thank you to the entire university community for your dedication and hard work to ensure that Washburn successfully fulfills its academic mission.
Sincerely,
JuliAnn Mazachek, Ph.D. |Vice President for Academic Affairs
Washburn University |Topeka, Kansas 66621
