Princeton University Plans For In-Person Return In Fall

PRINCETON, NJ — Princeton University has asked all graduate and undergraduate students to plan to return for in-person classes in the fall semester.

According to a memo sent to faculty and staff members on Thursday, Provost Deborah Prentice and Executive Vice President Treby Williams said staff currently working remotely “will return to campus on a rolling basis.”

“...All staff members should anticipate being back at work on campus no later than the start of the 2021-2022 academic year,” said the memo.

Prentice and Williams said that plans for on and off campus activities will be made based on CDC guidelines.

They said that a vast number of summer university programs will remain remote, including Freshman Scholars Institute, the Scholars Institute Fellows Program and the Princeton University Preparatory Program.

“Because University-sponsored travel remains prohibited, activities such as international language courses and Global Seminars must also remain virtual.”

Princeton said that their guiding goal was to resume a fully in-person residential program.

“We want students, faculty, researchers and staff back on campus so that teaching and learning can return to our classrooms, studios, and labs,” Prentice and Williams said in their memo.

However, return to in-person classes “will be a complex process guided by public health experts, state regulations, and logistical realities.”

A few restrictions will be in place that will extend into the next academic year.

These restrictions will be based on expectations to adhere to guidance from CDC and New Jersey, irrespective of vaccination status.

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