PHILIPPI, W.Va.—May 26, 2020—Alderson Broaddus (AB) University plans to safely resume face-to-face instruction for the fall 2020 semester and reopen its main campus, including housing and dining services.
“We’re looking forward to welcoming back students in-person for a successful academic year,” said Dr. Tim Barry, president of Alderson Broaddus University. “We are productively, yet cautiously, moving forward. The safety and health of our incoming students, their families, and the AB community is our first priority. We continue to make decisions based on public health guidance and will monitor state and federal recommendations for higher education institutions on how best to welcome our students to campus safely.”
The fall 2020 start date for undergraduate instruction is Monday, August 10, 2020.
Move-in dates and times will be assigned to students to avoid unnecessary crowding and maximize social distancing. Football student-athletes are scheduled to move in on Monday, July 27, through Thursday, July 30; students involved in other fall sport programs will move-in from Saturday, August 1, to Tuesday, August 4; and all remaining new and returning undergraduate students will move-in on Monday, August 3, through Saturday, August 8. Students will be notified via email with their particular move-in date and time. Residence halls will not open before the official move-in dates and times.
“We’re starting the undergraduate semester earlier in August so that we can finish before Thanksgiving break,” explains Dr. Joan Propst, provost and executive vice president for academic affairs. “This adjustment to the undergraduate academic schedule is out of an abundance of caution and will help minimize travel to and from campus and any exposure to a resurgence of the coronavirus. It also allows flexibility in class scheduling to help maximize social distancing in the classroom and, depending on the COVID-19 situation, frees up time in December for an undergraduate winter term.”
The last day for undergraduate class instruction will be Friday, November 13, 2020, with finals ending on Friday, November 20. These instructional date changes do not apply to AB’s graduate programs at this time.
The summer months give AB administrators time to create necessary procedures for the fall academic semester. Modifications to modes of instruction are possible in the future and dependent upon the rise of COVID-19 cases in West Virginia, Barbour County, and the surrounding area.
AB will move its New Student Registration Days online over the summer months, replacing an on-campus experience. This decision was made out of concern for the health and safety of new students and their families, along with the AB campus community.
“We sincerely appreciate our faculty, staff, and students adjusting to our spring semester changes and making necessary arrangements for the fall 2020 semester,” said Dr. Barry. “We’re committed to the overall well-being of our campus community and preparing our students for academic excellence.”
Alderson Broaddus continues to receive COVID-19 updates from a variety of local, state, regional, and national sources daily. AB encourages students, faculty, and staff to monitor the ab.edu/coronavirus website, the mobile alert system, and AB’s email accounts for further updates.
To register for the fall semester or general admission questions, please contact the AB Office of Admissions at 800.263.1549 or apply online at ab.edu/apply.
About Alderson Broaddus University
Alderson Broaddus University is an independent institution of higher learning, committed to serving the region as an academic, cultural, and religious resource, with programs based on a liberal arts foundation.
The mission of AB is to provide students with the highest qualityeducation, striving to prepare students to succeed in their chosen disciplines and to fulfill their roles in a diverse society as well-rounded and responsible citizens.
Since its founding in 1871, AB has been a leader and innovator in higher education, with accolades in the health and natural sciences. Alderson Broaddus University stands out as one of the most innovative health education providers in Appalachia, pioneering the nation’s first baccalaureate physician assistant program of its kind in 1968 and a post-baccalaureate physician assistant master’s degree program in 1993, and West Virginia’s first four-year Nursing program in 1945.
AB islocated on a historic hilltop in Barbour County in Philippi, West Virginia. The University is rooted in historic and continuing relationships with the American Baptist Churches in the U.S.A. and the West Virginia Baptist Convention.
For more information about AB, visit www.ab.edu.
