MOON TOWNSHIP — Robert Morris University President Dr. Chris Howard announced the tentative plan for classes for the Spring 2021 semester.

In an email sent from The Office of the President to the RMU community Wednesday morning, campus president, Dr. Howard expressed his gratitude for a, so far, successful fall semester in the midst of a global pandemic.

“While we are relieved that so far we have had relatively few cases of COVID-19, we do not diminish the seriousness of this virus and we do not want any members of our community to fall ill,” said Dr. Howard. “I ask that you remain vigilant as we head into the second half of the semester.”

Also in the email, Dr. Howard addressed the plans for resuming classes once students return for the spring semester.

First, eight-week courses will begin on Monday, Jan. 11, while 15-week courses will begin on Thursday, Jan. 14.

Similar to many other universities, RMU announced that they would be shortening their spring break for 2021. Students will have no classes on Thursday, March 4, and Friday, March 5, opposed to the usual Monday-Friday break that students are used to. This has been put in place to slow the spread of the virus throughout campus. Students are also encouraged not to travel during these days of no instruction.

Similar to the Fall 2020 semester, RMU is offering a mix of in-person, fully online, and virtual rotation courses for the Spring 2021 semester. Students who wish to have all classes fully online are encouraged to meet with their academic advisors during their registration period and discuss this decision. However, it has been made clear that certain majors and the students’ process in the program may not allow for a fully online schedule.

Also similar to the Fall 2020 semester, final exams will be conducted virtually for the Spring 2021 semester. Final exams will be held Tuesday, April 27 through Friday, April 30.

Finally, the commencement ceremony for the Class of 2021 is currently scheduled to occur on time, with the graduation ceremony scheduled for Friday, May 7, and the undergraduate ceremony scheduled for Saturday, May 8. Whether the ceremony will be held in-person or not depends on state health regulations at the time and the state of the virus on campus at that time.

More updates are planned to be announced as the spring semester gets closer. Students can view these updates and messages by visiting rmu.edu/coronavirus.