The University of Minnesota Crookston (UMC) is planning to open this fall on schedule with a mix of on-campus and hybrid classes as well as it’s dedicated online program. The first day of school remains scheduled for August 25, and despite the challenges COVID-19 and cutting football have on enrollment, the leadership at UMC believes they are in a good position for the new year.
Chancellor Mary Holz-Clause said she believes the decision of the Board of Regents to allow on-campuses classes last month puts UMC in a good position. “We’re doing quite well, particularly for our new students coming in,” said Holz-Clause. “I think everybody has seen a little bit of uneasiness about what classes are going to look like for this coming fall, so maybe some people are delaying that decision. We’re looking to be in a good position now that we defined that unless something changes significantly with COVID-19 that we are going to have classes on campus.”
Vice-Chancellor John Hoffman said the impact of cutting football and the COVID-19 pandemic lowered the expected size of the incoming freshman class by about 50 students, of which he believes they’ve closed about half of that gap. Additionally, retention numbers will take a hit as some football players have transferred to continue playing football somewhere else. “I think we can put a little bit of context on this, too,” said Hoffman. “I think one of the things we have to name upfront is we think about the year to year comparisons is we did discontinue football this past year. And in light of the impact of COVID-19, we are expecting some rather different numbers in terms of those that can return and new students. All other things being equal that would set us back probably 50 students, in terms of new students. We’re on pace right now to close about half of that gap. There will be some additional retention numbers that we are anticipating. We have some football athletes that will not be returning because they are moving on to play football elsewhere.”
The current COVID-19 pandemic and travel restrictions will also impact on-campus enrollment. There are currently eight international students who were to be enrolled for the first time this fall that can’t get visa interview appointments until at least October said Holz-Clause. “Right now, we have eight students who want to come, but they can’t get their interview appointments to get their visas,” said Holz-Clause. “So, we’ve got some students from Ethiopia, Nepal, Nigeria, Kenya, that are not going to be able to come even though they want to. They hope that once the embassies open in October, which looks like the open dates for a lot of the embassies, they’ll be able to get their visas after that. We’re trying to be as flexible as we can for our students, recognizing that they may have to start online and hoping they can get here in person as time goes on.”
On Tuesday, it was announced that a previous statement from Immigration and Customs Enforcement stating international students taking online-only courses wouldn’t be eligible for the Student and Exchange Visitor Program was rescinded. However, travel restrictions due to COVID-19 will still make it challenging for some students to return. “We do have a number of international students who may not be able to return,” said Hoffmann. “But we know a number of students returned home and are going to have a difficult time getting back here in the fall.”
UMC’s enrollment numbers over the past few years have left openings in on-campus student housing. That works as a benefit during COVID-19 because it allows for spacing and an isolation wing if necessary, explains Hoffman. “We’re in a great position,” said Hoffman. “Part of it has to do with amazing facilities. We’re blessed with some of the finest residence halls in the region and the design of those halls. Most of our residence halls have bathrooms within the apartment. They have separate dedicated heating and AC units, so we don’t have to worry about the virus being circulated around the residence halls, as is the case for so many other campuses in the area. We will be able to provide both single and double rooms for the students that opt into that this fall. We will also be able to dedicate a wing of one of our residence halls for an isolation space. So, we have the flexibility if students do become ill to provide appropriate care within our comprehensive screening protocols within our campus while protecting the members of the community.”
