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Fall 2020 Plans

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July 9, 2020

Dear AUC Community,

I know that you have all been eagerly awaiting this update on our plans for Fall 2020. I thank you all for your patience over the past weeks, as we have been carefully considering a range of options. As always, the key priorities which have guided our decision making are the health and safety of the entire community, and the quality of education for our students. 

A few months ago I established a task force to consider all options and make recommendations for Fall 2020. Chaired by Dr. Ahmed Tolba, this team has been working tirelessly and in collaboration with offices across the university to develop an extremely thorough analysis and set of recommendations, which I have approved and which have been fully endorsed by President Ricciardone.

Classes

AUC is implementing a hybrid model of classes for Fall 2020, with an emphasis on maintaining a low-density campus. What exactly does this mean?  We will have a mix of online and on-campus classes. Certain classes will have some face-to-face sessions on campus. Other classes will be fully online.

Our Deans and Department Chairs have been working closely with faculty and with the Fall 2020 Planning Committee to identify those classes where some campus-based face-to-face sessions are required in order to fully meet their learning objectives.  When students go to register for their classes, the modality of instruction will be clearly indicated.  Campus access to students will be reserved primarily to those who are enrolled in these face-to-face classes.

While this hybrid, low-density model is how we plan to begin the Fall semester, these past few months have taught us that we must be fully prepared for any eventuality. If the situation improves, we may increase the number of face-to-face classes on campus or even switch to across-the-board face-to-face instruction. Alternatively, if the situation gets worse, we may have to shift to a fully-online model. We have already proven that as a community our agility can get us through any circumstances.  Once again, we call on everyone to remain flexible in this ever-changing situation. 

Registration

All Fall 2020 classes will be posted online on Monday, July 13, and registration begins on Wednesday, July 15. As noted above, the modality of each class will be clear, so that every student will know in advance of registering whether their classes will begin the semester online or face-to-face. 

Faculty

AUC Faculty have continued to receive the full support of our Center for Learning and Teaching. as they develop their Fall 2020 course plans. This includes specialized courses designed for faculty to enhance online classes, as well a comprehensive Preparing for Fall 2020: Summer Online Teaching Institute. Please refer to the recent email sent to faculty from CLT for more details.  

I would like to remind all faculty that you are expected to be in Cairo prior to the start of the Fall semester, even if your class is scheduled to be online. There is a fair possibility that we will shift more classes to a face-to-face modality on campus during the semester, and so being present in Cairo is required. 

Health and Safety Guidelines

Any faculty, staff or students who are returning to Egypt from abroad must plan to arrive two weeks before the start of the semester in order to self-quarantine.  We are implementing strict health and safety guidelines on all who live, work, study and teach at AUC. Safety protocols include such measures as restricted student access and essential visitor access, mask-wearing and social-distancing within the campus as well as mask-wearing and social-distancing on AUC transportation at all times. Community members who are experiencing any COVID-19 symptoms should get tested and report back to the AUC clinic if the results are positive. 

Please note that a full set of Academic FAQs related to Fall 2020 are available on AUC’s Coronavirus website. 

Once again I thank everyone who has been involved in helping us to reach these critical decisions. And I thank the entire AUC community for your patience and ongoing strength. 

Sincerely,

Ehab Abdel Rahman, Provost