Shenandoah Receives Approval for Fall Reopening Plan

Shenandoah is proud to announce that its plan for reopening in the fall and conducting in-person instruction has been approved by the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV).

The university’s 14-page reopening plan contains the 26 required components of Gov. Ralph Northam’s Virginia’s Higher Education Reopening Guidance, which was developed by the Office of the Secretary of Education, SCHEV, and the Virginia Department of Health, and was informed by guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Every institution of higher education in Virginia is required to outline its plan for resuming classes in the 2020-21 academic year in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and to detail measures for “promoting and fostering the health and safety of students, faculty, staff, and surrounding communities as equitably as possible,” according to the guidance.

With the approval of our reopening plan, Shenandoah has demonstrated its commitment to providing an exceptional education in a learning environment that places paramount importance on the health and safety of our students, faculty and staff. We are thankful for SCHEV and their guidance during this process.”
Senior Vice President Mitch Moore, who chairs the university’s reopening committee

Shenandoah’s reopening plan, presented in FAQ format, fully addresses the four themes outlined in the reopening guidance, which requires institutions to meet certain public health conditions in order to reopen their campuses, and to develop plans to address the following considerations:

• Repopulation of the campus
• Monitoring health conditions to detect infection
• Containment to prevent spread of the disease when detected
• Shutdown considerations if necessitated by severe conditions and/or public health guidance

Shenandoah submitted its comprehensive reopening plans to SCHEV, which reviewed the plans for compliance. Plans may need to be updated as guidance evolves, especially in the areas of testing, contact tracing and symptom tracking. Shenandoah has posted its Plan To Reopen Shenandoah University For Fall 2020.

Virginia’s higher education reopening guidance is among the first in the nation and is one of the most comprehensive accounts of criteria that should be considered when reopening a college or university campus, according to a June 11 news release from the governor’s office.