FORT WAYNE, Ind. – The University of Saint Francis has adjusted its fall semester to finish on-campus undergraduate instruction prior to Thanksgiving as a COVID-19 pandemic precaution.
The decision was made to limit possible increased exposure and spread of the virus among the USF community that might occur with students leaving and returning to campus during the fall semester.
“The health and safety of our students and the USF community is our top priority,” said USF President Sister M. Elise Kriss, OSF. “Our change in scheduling for the fall semester is like those changes adopted by other colleges in Indiana and around the nation. We believe these adjustments can help reduce the risk of possible spread of the virus among students and others in the campus community.”
The USF fall semester will begin as previously scheduled on Monday, Aug. 24, but undergraduate courses in Fort Wayne and Crown Point will now end on Friday, Nov. 20, with in-person final semester exams ending on Tuesday, Nov. 24. As a result of the adjustment, there will be no two-day fall semester break in October. Online finals and the submission of any remaining work will occur during the week of Nov. 30 with all grades for the semester finalized by Dec. 15.
Residence halls will close for the semester on Wednesday, Nov. 25, with students to return for the spring semester in January as previously scheduled. The spring semester begins Monday, Jan. 11.
Note: Graduate courses, Virtual Campus courses and on-ground courses at St. Elizabeth School of Nursing in Lafayette, Indiana, will proceed with their standard fall schedules and are not affected by the adjustment.
For more information, contact USF Vice President for Academic Affairs Dr. Lance Richey at 260-399-8112 or lrichey@sf.edu.
Founded in 1890 in the Catholic Franciscan tradition, the University of Saint Francis offers more than 70 undergraduate, graduate and doctoral programs through the School of Health Sciences, School of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Keith Busse School of Business and Entrepreneurial Leadership and School of Creative Arts. In addition to its traditional programs, USF designs focused curricula for working adults in Fort Wayne, Crown Point and online. USF Downtown houses the university’s business and music technology programs while offering enhanced internship and networking opportunities for students. The University of Saint Francis campus experience includes 16 athletic programs boasting two individual and four team NAIA national championships and is recognized as an NAIA Five-Star Champion of Character institution. Approximately 2,200 students from a broad geographic region attend USF.