Galveston College officials announced today three major decisions in response to the continuing worldwide COVID-19 pandemic and out of ongoing concern for students, faculty, staff and the community.
Galveston College spring 2020 semester classes will be completed online. Although the college had originally indicated that it intended to resume face-to-face classes on Monday, April 6, that no longer appears to be a realistic expectation. Consequently, all spring semester classes are being scheduled to be completed strictly online. For students who do not currently have access to campus laboratories/facilities or access to their clinical sites, instructors will provide additional information and instructions, as appropriate.
Academic and student support services will continue to be available online. In addition, registration for summer and fall classes will open online on Monday, April 13. In order to plan coursework for the fall and spring, current students and prospective students should plan to contact their adviser by email or phone for instructions for registering online. As soon as the campus can be safely opened to students and the general public, the college will open for in-person registration.
As it is anticipated that students will not be able to come to campus at the end of this semester, online final exams and/or other mechanisms for the end-of-semester assessment of student learning will be announced by the faculty to their individual classes.
The May graduation/commencement ceremonies will be postponed. The degrees and/or certificates for students who are completing their degrees or certificates in May will be mailed at the end of the semester. However, all students graduating in May as well as those students completing their studies during the summer will be invited to participate in a summer commencement ceremony on Friday, Aug. 21.
Galveston College’s emergency management team continues to work diligently on this unprecedented situation by closely monitoring guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), particularly information specific to institutions of higher education, state and local public health and emergency management authorities and the college’s own healthcare experts, as well as responses from other colleges and universities nationwide.
The college is working to make well-informed decisions to ensure that teaching and learning continue and college operations continue while protecting the health and safety of students, faculty, staff and the community.
For additional information on this situation and Galveston College, follow the college on Facebook or check out the college’s website at www.gc.edu .