In an announcement made Wednesday by JU president, Tim Cost, he stated that JU was “100% committed to you being on this campus come this fall in late August, to take your classes, to live and to learn here.”

Cook further said that a task force has been working on a plan for students to ‘succeed safely’ for the last two months. 

This announcement came only one day after Dr.Fauci, the nation’s infectious disease expert, said at a Senate committee hearing that it is unlikely a vaccine or treatment for Covid-19 will be ready by the Fall. He added that schools should only plan to reopen based on testing capacities and the severity of local outbreaks, not vaccine availability. 

Jacksonville University is looking forward to welcoming students, faculty, and staff back to our beautiful campus, and we are hard at work to ensure we can do so safely. We invite you to watch this update on plans for the Fall from President Cost. https://t.co/Kv7MNno2kA

— Jacksonville University (@JacksonvilleU) May 13, 2020

JU is the first Florida school to make such an announcement, as of Fall 2019 enrollment numbers there were 4,164 students in attendance on campus at JU. 

UF is expected to make an announcement sometime in July.  However Provost Joe Glover already pushed back the first day of fall classes from Aug. 24 to Aug. 31. 

The University of South Florida is also determined to resume in person classes for the Fall according to President Steven Currall. Last week Currall said the university will keep some classes online but resume some face-to-face instruction and activities, with adjustments to adhere to social distancing guidelines. 

Florida State University has not solidified plans for the fall yet either. Provost Sally E. McRorie told faculty members through an email that it is likely courses which cannot be done remotely will be held on campus. 

For Ospreys, UNF offered a delay in starting enrollment. For those students who were slated to begin courses in the summer, they were able to move their enrollment start date to the fall semester. It is unclear at this time whether UNF will be resuming in-person classes in the Fall. UNF has 16,775 students enrolled compared to JU’s 4,164. 

The climate across the country for academia is one of uncertainty. Much in the way states made their own determinations on how and when to close their economies, most universities are feeling it out on their own with guidance from their advising bodies and consideration of CDC guidelines. It seems likely that most Florida universities will continue some form of distance learning while making exceptions for courses that require in person instruction adhering to new safety protocols. 

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