Frostburg State University Announces Plans for Fall Semester

Jun 15, 2020 11:20 AM

Frostburg State University will begin its fall semester two weeks early and end with Thanksgiving break, all residence hall rooms will be singles and classes will be adjusted to provide more flexibility and distancing options. All plans will be contingent upon state and local public health conditions and in compliance with state health guidelines.

“First and foremost, I want to let you know our goal is to be a residential campus this fall ‒ with face-to-face instructional and co-curricular interactions, and events that meet all local, state and CDC health guidelines,” said FSU President Ronald Nowaczyk in a video announcement to the campus community.

Nowaczyk announced a number of key decisions:

  • The semester will begin Monday, Aug. 17, two weeks earlier than planned, and will end two days before Thanksgiving; students will not return to campus until the spring semester.
  • A number of changes will be made to classes. They will be offered through a mix of in-person, online and blended in-person/online formats. The number of students in each class will be adjusted, and classrooms will be reconfigured to provide distancing and other safeguards.
  • All on-campus residence halls will be single rooms only, and access to common areas will be restricted. Students moving into residence halls will do so by appointment to reduce the number of people in hallways and elevators.
  • Pending a vote from the University System of Maryland Board of Regents, it is anticipated that tuition, fees and meal plan prices will remain at the 2019-2020 levels. Room rates have been adjusted in the majority of residence halls to help students who live on campus.
  • Cleaning and sanitizing of all buildings and the availability of hand sanitizers will be increased.

FSU, like other institutions in the University System of Maryland, switched to online course delivery after spring break because of the rapid spread of COVID-19 and Maryland state government mandates.

The Moving Forward: Fall 2020 plan will be updated throughout the summer. Updates and related information can be found on the FSU COVID-19 web site.

Situated in the mountains of Allegany County, Frostburg State University is one of the 12 institutions of the University System of Maryland. FSU is a comprehensive, residential regional university and serves as an educational and cultural center for Western Maryland. For more information, visit the Frostburg State web site or the FSU Facebook page. Follow FSU on Twitter @frostburgstate.