WINSTON-SALEM, NC (JUNE 26, 2020)—Salem Academy and College has recently released its preliminary plan for the 2020–2021 academic year, which enables students to return to campus during the COVID-19 pandemic while providing for their safety and wellbeing along with that of Salem’s faculty and staff.
“We realize the importance of personal interactions in the educational experience,” said Dr. Susan Henking, Interim President of Salem Academy and College. “Our team has been working extremely hard to create this plan, which is based on local, state, and federal public health guidance, and we are consulting with medical experts as we finalize the details. We have named our plan for returning this fall Salem Ready, Salem Strong, reflecting both our diligent efforts to prepare for the safe return to campus and the strength of our community in overcoming this obstacle together.”
Classes for Salem Academy and for Salem College will start as scheduled on August 26, 2020. All students at the Academy and the College will be required to complete COVID-19 health and safety protocols training as well as conduct temperature checks and participate in daily health screenings. Students and employees at both the Academy and College will be required to practice healthy hand-washing hygiene, socially distance, and wear masks or cloth face coverings when in the presence of others and where safe physical distancing is difficult to maintain.
For Salem College, all classes will be delivered in a hybrid (partially online and partially in classroom) or online format to promote social distancing and rapid transition to remote learning as needed.
Salem Academy will present a modified classroom experience that promotes social distancing and safety. Faculty at the Academy are preparing to provide both hybrid (partially online and partially in-class) and online instruction should a rapid transition to virtual learning be required.
To prevent exposure risk resulting from Thanksgiving break travel, face-to-face instruction for both Salem Academy and Salem College will end before the start of Thanksgiving break, and the fall semester will be completed remotely.
“This is a complicated process,” Henking said. “In the coming weeks, Salem will finalize details surrounding the fall plan to return to campus. In early July, we will share a special Salem Ready, Salem Strong section on our website with more information. We all must bear in mind, however, that the pandemic may change locally and globally as the summer and fall progress. Salem is also making contingency plans that cover a variety of scenarios we may confront throughout the next school year.”
Note to editors: Details of the preliminary plan covering the following topics Academic Calendar Changes and Return to Campus, Health Screening and Monitoring, Required Pandemic Health Practices, Housing, Course Delivery and Classroom Changes, Athletics, and Dining Services can be found in the attached pdfs: Salem Ready Salem Strong Plans Salem College and Salem Ready Salem Strong Plans Salem Academy.
Salem Academy and College is the oldest educational institution for girls and women in the United States. With more than 18,000 alumnae who serve as entrepreneurs, physicians, researchers, artists, lawyers, teachers, community volunteers, and corporate executives, Salem Academy and Salem College continues to educate the next generation of global leaders. For more information about Salem Academy, please visit salemacademy.com. For more information about Salem College, please visit salem.edu.