(Updated March 17, 2020)
All Three South Carolina Baptist universities have canceled classes on campus, opting to move courses online due to coronavirus concerns.
Out of an abundance of caution, Anderson University President Evans Whitaker announced March 12 that the university was suspending all undergraduate seated and hybrid classes for the week of March 16-21, as a result of the ongoing spread of COVID-19 throughout the United States. The week was considered an extension of spring break.
Anderson’s online classes already scheduled continued as normal, including the week of March 16.
Beginning Monday, March 23, all undergraduate seated and hybrid courses were converted to online learning environments due to the progression of the COVID-19 outbreak. A dedicated COVID-19 landing page at andersonuniversity.edu/COVID-19 was created for the latest information and resources.
As a proactive response to the coronavirus threat, Charleston Southern University also transitioned to online instruction for the week of March 16-20 and later extended online delivery through March 31. CSU’s move, however, was not an extension of spring break, which ended on March 15. Students who could reasonably stay home during the period were being encouraged to do so.
All faculty began conducting classes online using Blackboard on Monday, March 16. The shift to online instruction was expected to provide time for the COVID-19 incubation period to run its course for students who may have been exposed to the virus, CSU officials said. An announcement regarding resumption of face-to-face classes on campus and necessary updates will be posted at charlestonsouthern.edu/campus-health.
Following Gov. McMasters’ executive order March 15 that schools and colleges close, North Greenville University’s Contingency Operations Plan went into effect.
In-person courses have been suspended, but online courses were continuing as planned. As of March 23, all courses were being offered in online format for the foreseeable future. Students who elected to leave or remain at home were allowed to do so. Updates will be announced through NGUofficial@ngu.edu and ngu.edu/covid-19.
There were no known cases of COVID-19 on the Anderson, Charleston Southern, or North Greenville university campuses at press time.