The following message about expanding outreach and assistance for the new academic year was sent from Drexel President John Fry: As we gear up for the start of an academic year that will see remote learning continue for Drexel undergraduates, we are expanding outreach to support and foster a greater sense of community for students, faculty and professional staff. Two town halls are planned, rent abatement is being offered to second-year students leasing from American Campus Communities, and COVID-19 testing procedures are being updated.

The following message from President John Fry about undergraduate classes being held remotely for the fall term was sent to the Drexel community on Aug. 19: I have emphasized previously that Drexel’s planning is only as good as our community’s ability to adhere to protocols set forth to keep us safe, and it is now clear that similar protocols are proving tough to follow at many universities across the nation. Based on these discouraging outcomes, I now believe that it is no longer feasible for Drexel’s undergraduates to safely return to campus this fall. There are just too many aspects of the pandemic beyond our control.

In a message to Drexel students on Aug. 14, Nina Henderson Provost Paul E. Jensen, PhD, and Senior Vice President for Student Success Subir Sahu, PhD, share pandemic-related guidelines for both in-person and remote classes this fall at Drexel.

The following message was sent to the Drexel community from President John Fry and shared further details about Drexel's planned hybrid experience and information concerning COVID-19 testing protocols.

In a message to Drexel students on Aug. 4, Senior Vice President for Student Success Subir Sahu relayed the importance of student participation in all safety measures and guidelines put forth for the return to campus this fall, including completing the COVID-19 Student Training course and Dragon Pledge which will become available 24 hours after fall registration.

The following message was sent to the Drexel community from President John Fry: Over the course of the past month, Drexel's Return Oversight Committee has kept a watchful eye on the concerning trends in the coronavirus' trajectory both in our region and across the country.

In a message to Drexel students on July 31, Senior Vice President for Student Success Subir Sahu provided more information on the mandatory COVID-19 Student Training course and the online Dragon Pledge.

In a message to Drexel students on July 28, Senior Vice President for Student Success Subir Sahu outlines student guidelines for fall, including a new information hub about the return to campus, face covering and social distancing rules, the Drexel Health Tracker app and a mandatory COVID-19 training course.

The following message was sent to the Drexel community from President John Fry: I know that many of you are concerned with how the pandemic’s recent trajectory will impact our plans for September, even questioning whether our hybrid approach of remote and face-to-face teaching, student engagement and research still makes sense. Please know that I hear your concerns.

With more than two months until the September 21 start of our fall quarter, we are deep into implementing a hybrid model for the new academic year. Our aim is to combine face-to-face teaching, student engagement and research, while responsibly reducing the risk of COVID-19 transmission and infection utilizing recommended, evidence-based public health measures augmented by testing protocols and individual health monitoring through the Drexel Health Tracker app.

One week ago, we lit up the Main Building, Boathouse Row and other Philadelphia landmarks in blue and gold in a city-wide tribute to the Class of 2020. That evening, June 11, we broadcast a University-wide virtual graduation celebration to honor our newest, history-making Drexel alumni. To our graduates, I know that you were disappointed not to be able to attend your Commencement, but we will honor you next June when we gather at Citizens Bank Park. Between now and then, we have a great deal of work to do.

This academic year will feature a hybrid approach to learning, research and student life designed first and foremost to support the health and safety of students, faculty and professional staff, while also fulfilling the University's mission of teaching, research and service. Classes will be taught both in person on campus and remotely.

As the Philadelphia region prepares to move to the yellow, less restrictive coronavirus phase on June 5, we are moving ahead with plans to gradually ramp up research activities, return more students to clinical training, and finalize recommendations for our expected return to campus for the fall quarter, assuming our region is moved into the green phase by then.

As the spring quarter quickly comes to a close, I know we are all eager to gain a better understanding of how Drexel’s fall term will look in September, as well as what will be required from each of us to ensure that the University operates as a safe and supportive resource for students, faculty and professional staff. This much is certain: The coming academic year will challenge us in countless new and different ways.

As the Fall 2020 Covid-19 Task Force continued to move ahead with its work on recommendations for the start of the new academic year, Drexel students were asked to make suggestions for enhancing remote learning this summer and their views on the possibility of returning to campus in September. Meanwhile, we are seeing strong support from employers for the Drexel co-op, and the University’s community outreach efforts are being ramped up in the Promise Zone in West Philadelphia.

The following message was sent to faculty and professional staff at Drexel regarding the financial impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

We are on a fast-track planning process for the start of the new academic year with the expected return to full campus operations on September 21, while also putting plans in place that will protect the health and safety of everyone in the Drexel community. The full resumption of campus life for students, faculty, professional staff and other employees is the goal.

Now that we have a course set for the summer term, during which the University will continue to operate remotely, we are moving ahead with an intensive planning effort for the beginning of the new academic year. I’m pleased to announce the members of the task force assembled to explore our approach to teaching, research and service for the fall, and I want to briefly outline their charge.

It was six weeks ago today that everything changed for the Drexel community, and for the nation. The devastating and sweeping impact of the coronavirus pandemic has left no one untouched. At the same time, I am confident that the Drexel community is navigating the challenges and opportunities presented by the pandemic with increasing success. In that spirit, I want to encourage you to focus as much as possible on all that is positive about our response to this extraordinary period in our history.  And you need look no further than what is happening on our virtual campus to feel proud and hopeful.

All undergraduate and graduate courses will be conducted online during the summer term, largely following the same procedures in use now during the spring quarter and semester. 

This week, Drexel took its first steps on the path toward becoming a virtual university — an experience that we will learn much from and, ultimately, will strengthen our institution. We’re pleased that those steps have been steady and, for the most part, successful, and we want to reflect on this new chapter in the proud history of our University.

We recognize that the COVID-19 pandemic has brought much uncertainty and disruption to the lives of our students. After serious consideration and conversation with deans, faculty and our students, it became clear that following our standard grading policy during this unprecedented time was not the best path forward. For that reason, we will offer the option for students to take spring term courses on a Pass/No Pass basis.

As spring break draws to a close, I want to welcome you to an unprecedented spring quarter and semester — and tell you how excited we are to begin. While all around us the nation faces a time of uncertainty, we can be sure that, on our virtual campus, the next two-and-a-half months will prove to be productive in so many ways. We may be apart from one another as we shelter from the COVID-19 coronavirus, but we can still share this moment as a community. And I’m confident that we will emerge with our personal connections strengthened, our studies and research fruitful, and our service to the community as impactful as ever. 

This is a time of uncertainty, disruption and sacrifice. Our University has had to change the way we teach, conduct research and serve our community. And today, we regret to announce yet another step, which will be a particular disappointment to the members of the Class of 2020: That is, the pandemic has forced us to postpone all Drexel commencement ceremonies this spring.

Although popular gathering spots like the Korman Quad, the DAC and campus coffee shops won’t be their usual hives of activity this spring, we promise an engaging and challenging academic — and social — experience, utilizing an array of creative digital tools to keep everyone in the Drexel community connected.

We learned today that a first-year Drexel medical student has confirmed positive for the COVID-19 coronavirus. The student lives in an off-campus residence and was last on campus (at Queen Lane) on March 13. The student only recently developed symptoms and had no symptoms when on campus. Student Health and the Department of Public Health have been notified. 

We are contacting the small number of students with whom the student interacted and advising them to adhere to strict social distancing and monitor themselves for symptoms until March 27.

We learned today that a Drexel undergraduate student has confirmed positive for the COVID-19 coronavirus. The student lives in an on-campus residence but has remained off campus with her family since March 15.  Thankfully, she has recovered from the virus and no longer has any symptoms.

I am writing to inform you that a Drexel graduate student has become the first known member of our community to contract the COVID-19 coronavirus. Fortunately, this student is recovering at home and said to be doing well.

To prepare the majority of our faculty and professional staff members to effectively work remotely, we have listed important reminders and information below.

We are deeply thankful to our students — and their families — and Drexel faculty, professional staff and other employees for pulling together under such trying and fluid circumstances.

We are writing to you this evening on a matter of some urgency, following the order issued by Gov. Tom Wolf late this afternoon concerning the shutdown of most businesses and schools in Pennsylvania to help stem the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus.

There are no known cases of the coronavirus among anyone in the Drexel community, but the management at Three Parkway, one of Drexel’s Center City campus locations — where Drexel utilizes multiple floors — has alerted the University that a visitor last seen at the building on Thursday, March 12 has tested positive for the COVID-19 coronavirus.

Drexel students and faculty are ramping up preparations for remote teaching and learning in the spring term, aided by professional staff from across the University working diligently to provide support — while preparations continue to close the campus to the public tomorrow.

We are moving ahead today with our decision to close all campus facilities to the public on Friday, March 20, leaving minimal on-site staffing until further notice, while continuing core University operations and planning for the start of the spring term.

The COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic continues to drive major changes in the way we conduct teaching, research and campus operations at Drexel. In addition to earlier measures designed to safeguard all of us, Drexel will close all campus facilities to the public as of the end of the day on Friday, March 20 until further notice — open only to those faculty, professional staff and other employees needed to maintain critical operations or required on campus to assist in delivering online education.

As final exams begin this week, we are taking stock of the latest recommendations for stemming the COVID-19 coronavirus and making adjustments and changes accordingly to our plans for teaching and research going forward into the spring term.

On late Friday night, March 13, we learned that a physician at St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children who worked in the ICU, has been diagnosed with a presumed case of COVID-19. The physician was last at the hospital on March 11 and began to feel unwell later that day. We know that the infection was not acquired in the hospital.

The past few weeks have been challenging for all as we navigate uncharted territory. We are enormously grateful for the flexibility and compassion Drexel’s faculty and professional staff have all shown, and for the high standards and care you have continued to provide the campus community.  

As we close out this extraordinary and challenging week together, we would like to pause briefly, and thank each of you for your understanding, cooperation and support as we map a safe course through the threats posed by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

The COVID-19 outbreak, now officially designated a pandemic by the World Health Organization, calls for extraordinary measures to limit the spread of the coronavirus. In light of this, Drexel is announcing several changes to ensure our students’ health and safety while they continue their educational progress.

As the University continues to closely monitor the evolving situation regarding the coronavirus, or COVID-19, we wanted to provide some further guidance and resources for faculty and professional staff. The health and safety of all community members are of the utmost importance here at Drexel.

Drexel continues to monitor the impact of the COVID-19 coronavirus and are taking precautions consistent with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Philadelphia Department of Public Health. The campus remains open, but after consultation with deans and other academic leaders, we have decided to conduct next week’s quarter final exams online, rather than in classroom settings.

On Tuesday, an independent physician with admitting privileges at St. Christopher's Hospital for Children was diagnosed with a presumed case of COVID-19. Based on risk assessment guidelines from both the federal government and the Pennsylvania Department of Health, the risk of exposure to COVID-19 from this individual is low. The Department of Health is contacting the patient families for follow up. We do not have any reports of the coronavirus among Drexel students, faculty or professional staff that might be linked to this individual. 

The University continues to operate as normal and has no confirmed cases of the COVID-19 coronavirus. However, we are taking extra precautions to safeguard the Drexel community amid an uptick of cases in the Philadelphia region. This situation will require many of us to alter our daily routines and travel plans, and likely mean postponing highly anticipated meetings and events. Certainly, that will be the case with our latest decision — to cancel all international co-op placements for the spring-summer cycle and study-abroad programs for the spring term, as well as the spring break Intensive Courses Abroad and student organization international travel.

Following the confirmation of the first few coronavirus cases in the Philadelphia area, Drexel University will be taking additional steps in the coming days to safeguard students, faculty and professional staff. These measures likely will require that we alter our daily routines and some spring break travel plans, and yet still carry on the University's critical mission of teaching and research. Working together, we will do everything possible to mitigate the impact of the expected spread of the coronavirus in our region.

As the number of coronavirus cases grows in the United States, Drexel University is enacting contingency plans to ensure that students, faculty and professional staff are safeguarded, while continuing to provide for learning and research and critical campus functions. 

As Drexel’s Office of Global Engagement monitors the coronavirus situation, the University has decided to expand its restriction on overseas travel to include Italy due to the spread of the disease. On Friday, South Korea was added to the restricted list, along with China. We continue to monitor the situation in Japan. Due to the prevalence of cases in South Korea, all student programs in that country have been suspended, and now that suspension will apply to Italy.

Drexel’s Office of Global Engagement is continuing to monitor the coronavirus situation and is following closely the situations in South Korea, Japan and Italy, where the number of cases is increasing. Due to the prevalence of cases in South Korea, all student programs in that country have been suspended, and, additionally, the University has now decided to extend its restriction on travel to include South Korea.

As you may be aware from recent news reports, there is a growing outbreak of the new and potentially fatal coronavirus, which was recently identified in Wuhan, China, and has quickly spread to neighboring countries. Health officials have confirmed two cases in the United States and are monitoring dozens of other patients.