USI announces plans for in-person instruction for Fall 2021

The University of Southern Indiana has announced plans to move to in-person instruction for the Fall 2021 Semester and migrate toward more normal operations.

"We are excited about the prospect of being together again as a community," said Ronald S. Rochon, USI President. "Since this pandemic began last March, we have taken unprecedented measures to ensure the safety of our students, faculty, staff and visitors. Now it's time to consider the return to our beautiful campus while maintaining the vigilance and safety measures that guided us through this pandemic to date."

Led by a task force of 130 individuals, the University found ways to adapt over the past 12 months, moving from remote instruction to a hybrid model and continuing to pivot and adapt to keep pace with national, state and local guidance-always with an emphasis on safety. The task force continues to meet regularly to discuss policies and protocols to benefit the entire USI family.

This spring, COVID-19 cases, both at USI and in the community, continue to fall. Vaccines have become more readily available to portions of the population, and prospects for a much broader roll out to all age groups are high. As vaccine eligibility expands, the University strongly encourages students, faculty and staff be vaccinated as soon as they are eligible.

"The more people who are vaccinated, the greater our chance of returning to a more normal semester this fall. Vaccinations will be key to our ability to return to in-person classes, events, campus housing and community involvement. Because we want to return to a sense of normalcy, we all must play our part," said Rochon. "As we have seen, nothing with this pandemic is a certainty. We must remain vigilant and flexible as we move toward the Fall Semester."

The safety and well-being of the entire campus community will continue to be the highest priority for the University, following guidance from local, state, and national officials. Masks, social distancing and other safety measures will continue on our campus until further notice.

"Because of the ongoing dedication of our entire USI community, I am confident we can successfully return to more normalcy this fall," said Rochon.