The nation’s largest public university system will continue with primarily online instruction for the remainder of the academic year amid the state’s ongoing coronavirus crisis, California State University Chancellor Timothy P. White announced in a letter to students, faculty and staff Thursday.
White said he had consulted extensively with campus presidents and considered the state of the pandemic in California and university operations.
“The disease continues to spread,” he said. “While the current mitigation factors do make a difference, in the absence of a vaccine and of sufficient, cost-effective, timely testing and contact-tracing infrastructure, we are not able to return to a normal, principally in-person schedule in January 2021.”
There will be some limited exceptions for classes that cannot be delivered remotely. On-campus housing will also be reduced.
White said the decision would enable faculty, students and families to plan for the next term, as it had for the fall. The CSU was among the first institutions to decide, in May, that it would resume the fall term remotely.
The chancellor also cited administrative pressures. Students will begin signing up for spring courses within a few weeks, and campuses will soon need to obtain authorization from their accrediting body in order to offer online courses.
Across the CSU, less than 7% of classes will be offered in person this term, with significant variability by campus. White said that he expects similar variations in the spring, and that in some cases it may be possible to increase the amount of in-person instruction, whereas in others it may be necessary to pull back.
“This decision is the only responsible one available to us at this time. And it is the only one that supports our twin North Stars of safeguarding the health, safety and well-being of our faculty, staff, students and communities, as well as enabling degree progression for the largest number of students,” he said.
Campuses will develop and communicate their commencement plans next term, the university said.
