Chipola ready to reopen for fall

Chipola President, Dr. Clemmons, welcomes students, faculty and staff, back as we reopen for Fall 2020 classes. More information about Chipola's reopening plans can be found in our Keys to Successful Reopening and our Keys to a Healthy Campus documents.

Letter from Dr. Clemmons

Aug. 6, 2020

Chipola College Community:

Chipola College continues to evolve to meet challenges such as Hurricane Michael and the COVID-19 Pandemic. What sets apart a great organization from a good one – are the employees. A highly engaged and high performing faculty and staff are critical to student recruitment, enrollment, retention, and completion during these crises.

Our employees have committed to Chipola’s success by providing the environment for student success. I want to thank our exceptional employees for making Chipola great. I also want to thank our students for their patience and hard work during this uncertain time.

When the pandemic forced us to go virtual in March, we adopted the slogan, “Stay Home, Stay Well and Excel at Chipola College.” As we welcome students to campus for Fall classes on August 24, this slogan will change to “Stay Well and Excel at Chipola.” The Fall schedule of classes was designed with options to cover every student’s needs with classes offered in person, through Zoom, online, or through a combination of these.

To help reduce exposure related to travel and gatherings, following the Thanksgiving Break on Nov. 30, all classes will move to a virtual format. Since the last class day for Fall Session A academic classes is Dec. 8, going virtual will reduce the number of face-to-face class meetings by three.  Final exams will be given online, and students will be asked not to return to campus after Nov. 30 except by appointment.

Working with leaders from all areas of campus life, we have developed “Keys to a Healthy Campus.” This document will guide us as we work together to provide a safe learning and working environment. The plan follows best practices, which include: the wearing of masks on campus, increased sanitation, social distancing, contact tracing, isolation and quarantine guidelines and a response plan for outbreaks. Please read this document to learn what you can do to help keep our campus safe.

Chipola College has been “Changing Lives and Creating Futures” since it first opened its doors in 1947. I look forward to working with the entire college community this school year as we write another chapter in the rich history of Chipola College.

Sarah Clemmons, Ph.D.

President