Because the coronavirus has yet to peak in Tennessee and in many parts of the U.S., the University of the South has made the difficult decision to cancel or move online all summer programs this year.
We understand that this will be a disappointment to many who have planned to spend a part of the summer in Sewanee—as well as to those who have invested time and energy in planning these programs—but we believe this is the only responsible course of action in these uncertain times.
Recent (as of April 10) coronavirus modeling by Vanderbilt University predicts that if the Tennessee outbreak continues to spread at its current rate, the virus will not peak in the state until June. The health and well-being of the entire University community—students, faculty, staff, and neighbors, as well as summer participants—are our primary concerns, and this decision is necessary to safeguard, as much as possible, the health of our community and the many other communities to which we are connected.
Programs that can be moved effectively online will continue to be offered during summer 2020. The University is exploring remote learning options for the Sewanee School of Letters, Sewanee Young Writers’ Conference, and summer school in the College. More information about those classes will be available soon.
There are also plans to hold Sewanee Summer Seminar online this summer.
Information about summer programs at the School of Theology can be found here.
The University will not be able to host an in-person Reunion Weekend in June. When it is safe to be together, we will plan a time to celebrate with the classes that would have had reunions this year.
Youth and adult sports camps will not be held on campus this summer. The University also is unable to host other groups and programs that use our facilities. We look forward to inviting these programs back next summer.
All campus-based research is suspended for the summer. Students should talk with their research mentors about whether they can productively move projects forward remotely, or whether they should take another course of action.
Many positions normally held by students will go unfilled this summer. However, some departments may have work that can be completed remotely; students may check with their faculty mentor or department chair about the possibility of a remote summer position.
In light of the uncertainties created by the COVID-19 pandemic and the many related travel advisories and suspensions, the University also has made the difficult decision to cancel its summer 2020 study abroad programs.
