CVCC Announces its Plans for Fall 2020 Semester

Fall 2020 Semester Plans for Catawba Valley Community College

The Catawba Valley Community College 2020 fall semester may look and feel somewhat different for students, faculty, staff and the community with additional steps being taken to ensure a safe and productive academic environment during the COVID-19 Pandemic. 

07/25/2020

CVCC News

HICKORY, N.C. - The Catawba Valley Community College 2020 fall semester may look and feel somewhat different for students, faculty, staff and the community with additional steps being taken to ensure a safe and productive academic environment during the COVID-19 Pandemic. 

The college will continue to deliver exceptional instructional offerings on campus and virtually while maintaining safety procedures recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS).

During the 2020 Spring semester, college faculty and staff pivoted quickly to address Governor Roy Cooper’s Stay-at-Home order by restructuring operations. The college shifted the majority of its offerings to a virtual format in order to provide continuing instruction to students. 

“An unprecedented situation for our college has created extraordinary challenges that our students, faculty, and staff have experienced over the past several months together,” said CVCC President, Dr. Garrett D. Hinshaw. “I have been inspired by the cooperation and collaboration of all of our stakeholders and am confident that we can overcome these challenges as we face them going into the fall semester.”

For the fall semester, Catawba Valley Community College’s regularly scheduled classes are planned to start on Aug. 17 and end on Dec. 16. Currently enrolled students may begin registration on July 6. New and returning students can register beginning on July 20. 

Appointment times for new and returning students will be published on July 6. Advising sessions will be available via telephone, email and virtually. Face-to-face advising sessions may be available beginning on July 20.

In an effort to maximize flexibility for faculty and students, different instructional delivery options will be available for all students. Plans for instruction will include traditional face-to-face, asynchronous online and synchronous online delivery. This flexibility will be crucial for students who may not otherwise be able to enroll and/or make timely progress towards their degree completion.

Face-to-face instruction is being reconfigured to include social distancing provisions. These changes mean that classes may be smaller and may meet in larger spaces. Large classes or programs may be split into smaller sections, receive instruction via face-to-face/hybrid, online or consist of a combination of both. The goal is to offer as much flexibility for students and faculty as possible.

The expectation is that face masks will be worn for face-to-face classes and that social distancing protocols will be followed across all CVCC campuses.

The safety, health and well-being of the campus community will always be CVCC’s highest priority. Strategies are in place to continuously monitor changing healthcare issues and related campus operations. As the pandemic continues to evolve, college administration will determine if or when operational changes may be required. 

Going forward, Dr. Hinshaw stresses the continued focus on safety and academic excellence. 

“Our focus will be on the safety of our students, employees and community as we move forward while maintaining the integrity of our academic and workforce valued programs of study,” Dr. Hinshaw said. “We will be taking extensive precautions and protocols to assure that our learning environment continues and that we can safely move through the fall so that our citizens may access our college in order to reach their goals.”

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