University of La Verne to Start Semester With Remote Learning

University of La Verne President Devorah Lieberman made the following announcement to the university community on Tuesday, July 28.

Dear University of La Verne Community,

From the beginning, the University of La Verne’s plan for teaching and learning in the fall prioritized the health and safety of students, faculty, and staff while also honoring our historical commitment to a student-centered and personalized education.

Our plans have been contingent upon meeting public health guidelines, and we have remained flexible in order to adapt to the fluid trends of the coronavirus pandemic.

After careful consideration of public health data, and given that existing state and county public health guidelines do not allow for on-campus operations, we are shifting our fall plans to create the most productive learning and working environment for the university community. The University of La Verne will now begin the fall semester and term with primarily remote teaching and learning across all campuses, and only essential on-campus operations.

• State and county public health guidelines for residence halls are still being developed and may require the university to limit housing to single occupancy rooms and to students with the greatest need. If that occurs, priority will be given to students with housing insecurity, international students, out of state students, or students who do not have academically supportive home environments. The Office of Housing and Residential Life will be in touch to discuss options with students who have applied for housing.
• High-contact intercollegiate fall sports such as football, basketball, and soccer will not take place in the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.
• Student fees will be assessed on a case-by-case basis.
• Technical support, including access to computer equipment and training, will remain available.

As the fall semester progresses, we will continue to closely monitor public health guidelines and resume on-campus activity as soon as state and county public health agencies declare it is safe and responsible to do so.

When we announced the La Verne Safe Return plan in June, California appeared to be on track toward recovery and was close to entering Stage 3 of the state’sResilience Roadmap, which would allow colleges and universities to bring back some on-campus operations. Today, that is no longer the case, as COVID-19 infections continue to rise across California, with rates of community spread and hospitalization also trending upward.

We are confident that faculty are prepared to deliver excellent education remotely and that all students will be able to stay on track academically for graduation. Faculty have worked diligently to optimize their courses for remote learning, listening to student feedback and building extensively from what we learned last spring.

We also know that community is what makes the University of La Verne special and memorable. University offices and departments will continue to provide a complete array of services to students remotely to ensure a rich and inclusive student experience.

Employees, including student workers, should consult with their supervisors about their individual work expectations.

Please continue to visit laverne.edu/coronavirus for updated information.

I very much look forward to seeing each of you back on our campuses safely and soon.

Sincerely,

Devorah A. Lieberman, PhD
President