Robert Morris University announces plans for return to normal operations this fall

Citing positive developments in the rollout of the covid-19 vaccine, Robert Morris University President Christopher B. Howard on Tuesday said RMU plans to return to a normal schedule of in-person classes and athletics with fans in the stands this fall.

With the announcement, RMU joins a growing list of colleges and universities that have announced plans to return to normal operations for the fall 2021 semester.

The cautious plans for a return to normal operations at RMU’s Moon campus follow a year of altered operations at colleges across the country that began with the covid-19 shutdown last spring that forced all colleges to shutter their campuses and go to online learning for the remainder of the 2019-20 school year. Some continued complete remote operations this school year, while others adopted hybrid schedules that included both limited in-person classes and online learning.

Penn State, the state’s largest university, led the way last month with the announcement that it will begin phasing in an in-person return to campuses this summer, with a full return planned this fall.

Other schools that said they plan to return to normal operations include LaRoche University, California, Clarion, Edinboro, Indiana and Slippery Rock universities.

All of the schools stressed that they will continue to follow public health protocols this fall and that all plans are subject to change with changes in the public health landscape.

Robert Morris will test drive its return to campus during the summer session.

“We anticipate that every student who wishes to live on campus during the summer term will be able to do so. We will, of course, continue to offer many online courses and fully online degree programs during the summer and beyond,” Howard said in an email to the university community.

He said all current public health restrictions on in-person activities on campus remain in force.

“As limitations on in-person activities are relaxed, we will adjust our policies accordingly, but we must remain vigilant in order to prevent the spread of the virus on campus. We will continue to post updates at www.rmu.edu/coronavirus,” Howard said.