Dear Incoming Seattle University Student and Family:
At Seattle University, we realize that you are preparing to begin your college studies in extraordinarily difficult and uncertain circumstances. At Seattle University, we recognize the challenges of our public health and social context are impacting our students in many different ways and are committed to helping you continue your Redhawk education in a way that meets your needs, including the opportunity to take your fall quarter classes virtually should you need or prefer to do so.
You are likely now making key practical decisions in preparation for the upcoming year. To help your decisions, this letter will update you on our status and plans and advise regarding the next steps you should take to ensure you are prepared for fall quarter and registered for the right courses for you.
As previously announced, Seattle University is planning on reopening for fall quarter with a hybrid model of in-person and virtual instruction and in a way that prioritizes the health and safety of our students, faculty, and staff through careful adherence to public health guidance. At the same time, we are closely tracking the course of the COVID-19 pandemic in our area. We will be prepared in the event circumstances require a move to all virtual instruction. We intend to finalize most key decisions for our planned fall reopening by the end of the month and communicate any changes with you prior to the first of August.
To allow for physical distancing within classrooms and to ensure the university supports those faculty and students who need at this time to teach and learn virtually, many fall quarter classes will be taught virtually. Please know that at Seattle University, we take pride that our virtual classes are taught with the same quality, rigor, care, and engagement as in person. We have built an outstanding Center for Digital Learning and Innovation and our faculty engage actively in strengthening their capacities in virtual instruction. We take seriously and invest in this part of our educational mission, and we do it well as reflected in the high level of satisfaction expressed by students this past spring.
In preparing to reopen and responding to evolving circumstances, we are actively reviewing courses scheduled for fall quarter and determining which will be in person, hybrid, or virtual. As we do this work, we are prioritizing on campus instruction for first time in college classes and for laboratory, clinical, performing arts and other disciplines where in-person instruction is particularly important. We are also prioritizing the need to support international students with at least one in-person course in the event the recent guidance issued by the Department of Homeland Security is not reversed or blocked from taking effect.
During this process, some courses will be shifting from in-person to virtual instruction. I encourage you to review MySeattleU Student Planning, where you will see these changes as they occur. As you do this, please keep two things in mind:
- As your own plans become clearer, please select the courses that work for you. If you plan to be on campus, both online and virtual classes are available to you. If you plan to attend virtually, please select the synchronous or asynchronous courses that fit your schedule.
- If you have any difficulty or need a question answered, please contact your school, college, or program advising center. Contact information for advising centers can be found on the upper right hand side of this site: https://www.seattleu.edu/advising/
Whether virtually or in person, we look forward to welcoming you to Seattle University this fall, providing you an outstanding educational experience, and helping you begin on the path toward your Seattle University degree.
Sincerely,
Robert Dullea
Vice Provost
Chair, Instructional Continuity Working Group