LATROBE, PA – Given the changes to the fall 2020 academic calendar and ongoing efforts to mitigate the spread of COVID-19, Saint Vincent College officials have announced that the College’s annual winter commencement will be virtual, while the academic calendar for the spring 2021 semester has been modified.
The winter commencement ceremony will be released on the Saint Vincent College website and YouTube channel on Saturday, Dec. 19, the event’s originally scheduled date. The commencement ceremony will be recorded in the historic Saint Vincent Archabbey Basilica with each graduate receiving individual recognition. Additional details, including the keynote speaker, will be announced at a later date.
As the College continues to operate under its Health and Safety Plan for face-to-face instruction, residential living and athletic competition, the academic calendar for the spring 2021 semester has been altered to follow the same principles of the fall 2020 semester in order to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 and its impact on the Saint Vincent community. Additionally, students will now have the opportunity to enroll in a five-week intersession between the fall and spring semesters.
The spring semester will be compressed to eliminate breaks and all non-essential travel and visitation. A staggered move-in schedule for on-campus residents will take place the week of Jan. 18. Classes will begin on Monday, Jan. 25, and conclude on Friday, April 30. The semester will consist of 14 consecutive weeks of instruction with no major breaks, followed by the administering of final exams from May 3-6. Spring commencement is planned for Saturday, May 8.
There will be no classes on Good Friday, April 2, while the College is planning significant activities to commemorate Holy Week and the celebration of Easter on campus.
During the intersession between the fall and spring semesters, select courses will be offered remotely over a five-week term, Dec. 7 through Jan. 8. These courses will be available to enrolled Saint Vincent College students as an opportunity to get ahead or catch up on their program of study. Costs for the courses will follow the reduced summer course rates.
For the full text of the update from Saint Vincent College vice president for academic affairs and academic dean Dr. John Smetanka, visit this link.
The Saint Vincent College and Seminary Health and Safety Plan was developed and is continually reviewed by the College’s Forward Together Advisory Committee, consisting of college administrators and faculty and local health professionals. It can be viewed online at www.stvincent.edu/student-life/campus-reopening.
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