HAYS — In an email to students, faculty, and staff sent earlier this week, FHSU President Tisa Mason shared the university’s intention to resume on-campus operations for the fall 2021 semester. In the message, Mason stated, “Based on the positive movement we’ve seen over the past several months, I believe the time is right to share with you our decision to return, fall 2021, to full in-person classes and engaging campus life experiences that bring us together as a complete university community.”

During the summer of 2020, university planners developed and implemented comprehensive health and safety protocols that allowed the university to open last fall with a robust schedule of on-campus, online, and hybrid courses and modified on-campus residential and student life experiences. These health and safety protocols also allowed FHSU to keep its original academic calendar, including delivering on-campus, online, and hybrid courses from the beginning to the end of every semester and maintaining scheduled fall and spring breaks. The university is also planning a return to in-person commencement celebrations on May 14 and 15.

Mason said that maintaining the health and safety of students, employees, and campus visitors will remain the number one priority. She went on to thank the campus community for the sacrifices made since the onset of the pandemic, stating, “Together we found a way to continue this university’s essential work, and together we will return to campus this fall stronger than ever.”