Dear McDaniel Community, 

It is hard to believe that it has been a year since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic caused us to make necessary updates to our normal campus operations. During this time, our priority has been the health, safety, and well-being of all members of our community while staying focused on our commitment to our students-first mission. Over this past year, we have also witnessed the flexibility and strength of our entire campus community as we have all come together to collectively do our part to maintain a safe and healthy campus. It is because of these combined efforts that we have remained “Community Safe. McDaniel Strong.”

Right now, we find ourselves at a turning point in this pandemic. Thanks to our partnership with the Carroll County Health Department, all McDaniel faculty and staff who expressed a desire to get the vaccine have been able to receive their first dose, and we are aware of over 100 faculty and staff who have already been vaccinated by third-party vendors.

Although we do not yet have all of the details finalized, we do anticipate that we will be back to near normal circumstances with face-to-face instruction for the fall semester. We are sharing this decision now to aid in your planning for the fall.

We know that this likely raises questions, so we have outlined some of our plans for the forthcoming academic year below. We will keep you informed as additional updates and decisions are made.

Classes and Course Registration

We are planning for a primarily in-person experience in the fall with more than 90 percent of undergraduate classes to be offered as traditional in-person classes and 100 percent of our labs. The other 10 percent of classes will mostly be offered in a hybrid format, which includes an in-person component. This means that we do not expect the need to adhere to the same level of classroom capacity constraints that we have abided by this academic year.

Undergraduate course schedules for Summer and Fall are nearly finalized and registration is as follows:

• Summer 2021 session classes are offered fully online. Priority registration will take place March 22-April 20 and regular registration begins April 21.
  • Session I: May 24-July 5
  • Session II: July 6-August 16
  • Click here for more information.
• Fall 2021 registration will take place April 5-16. First-Year students will continue to complete their course registrations during McDaniel Local orientation sessions, the majority of which will be offered in-person in June and July.

We do not anticipate any changes to the undergraduate academic calendar, which can be viewed here. Undergraduate classes will begin Monday, August 23.

We are beginning to look into study abroad options, including whether students will have the opportunity to study at our Budapest campus. Any student who is interested in international study is encouraged to contact Elizabeth Davis, Director of International Study and Off-Campus Programs, at emdavis@mcdaniel.edu.

Just like this academic year, there will be no changes for Graduate and Professional Studies since most Graduate course instruction is already offered in an online format. Summer and Fall registration opens April 1.

As outlined in the Graduate academic calendar, session dates are as follows:

• Summer Session I: May 24-July 18
• Summer Session II: July 18-August 8
• Fall Session I online classes: August 23-October 17
• On-campus classes: August 30-December 10
• Fall Session II online classes: October 18-December 12

Student Housing and Food Service

We will continue to offer an on-campus residential experience for our undergraduate students. Returning students will begin the Fall 2021 housing application process in April and more information will be communicated directly by Residence Life. New students will receive information on the housing application process as they place their admissions deposits for fall.

At this time, it is too soon to know what housing policies and restrictions related to COVID-19 will need to remain in place. This includes whether students will still be expected to use the dining reservation system due to occupancy limits in Englar Dining Hall (Glar). Regardless, we will continue to have the outdoor tents that have proven to be popular spaces for students to study and socialize.

Health and Wellness

We expect that we will need to wait until this summer to finalize our health and safety policies and guidelines. This includes whether masks will be required in classrooms and other indoor and outdoor campus areas, as well as our COVID-19 testing protocols, including surveillance testing. We will confirm our isolation and quarantine procedures in consultation with the Carroll County Health Department.

We are closely monitoring COVID vaccination availability for our students. No decision has yet been made on whether students will be required to have the COVID vaccine since so much depends on the availability of the vaccine when students return in August. At this time, there are no plans to adjust our current health and safety guidelines for students who receive the vaccine this semester.

We anticipate that the seasonal flu vaccine will be available in September and we are strongly encouraging all students to get their flu shot in the fall. The Wellness Center is again planning to hold flu shot clinics on campus during the fall semester and we recommend that students take advantage of getting their vaccine at one of these clinics.

Again, as we continue to prepare for the fall semester, additional information will be shared. We will also regularly update the Return to the Hill webpage with any key decisions as they are made.

Thank you to our tremendous campus community for your commitment and resilience over this unprecedented year. We will continue to navigate this next chapter of the pandemic together.

Return to the Hill (RTTH) Committee