Skip to main content
  • Home
  • About
  • Faculty Experts
  • For The Media
  • ’Cuse Conversations Podcast
  • Topics
    • Alumni
    • Events
    • Faculty
    • Students
    • All Topics
  • Contact
  • Submit
Campus & Community
  • All News
  • Arts & Culture
  • Business & Economy
  • Campus & Community
  • Health & Society
  • Media, Law & Policy
  • STEM
  • Veterans
  • University Statements
  • Syracuse University Impact
  • |
  • The Peel
  • Athletics
Sections
  • All News
  • Arts & Culture
  • Business & Economy
  • Campus & Community
  • Health & Society
  • Media, Law & Policy
  • STEM
  • Veterans
  • University Statements
  • Syracuse University Impact
  • |
  • The Peel
  • Athletics
  • Home
  • About
  • Faculty Experts
  • For The Media
  • ’Cuse Conversations Podcast
  • Topics
    • Alumni
    • Events
    • Faculty
    • Students
    • All Topics
  • Contact
  • Submit
Campus & Community

Fall Semester to Follow Accelerated Academic Calendar

Wednesday, May 20, 2020, By News Staff
Share

Dear Members of the Syracuse University Community:

Syracuse University is eager and excited to welcome students, faculty and staff back to campus in just a few short months for the start of the Fall 2020 semester. Subject to continuing and further guidance from New York State and public health officials, we are planning for residential instruction this fall. Although unorthodox, we plan to follow an accelerated academic calendar. Doing so allows the University to provide in-person instruction in a way that safeguards the health and safety of all members of our campus and the Central New York community.

The Fall 2020 semester is expected to follow this schedule:

  • Monday, Aug. 24: Residential instruction will begin (students living in on-campus housing will receive notification of their move-in date).
  • Tuesday, Nov. 24: Residential instruction will conclude.
  • Wednesday, Nov. 25: The in-person instructional semester will conclude, and students depart for Thanksgiving break (students will not return to campus after Thanksgiving break).
  • Monday, Nov. 30-Wednesday, Dec. 9: Review sessions, reading days and final exams will be administered virtually.

In order to fulfill academic requirements and comply with public health guidance, this schedule will likely necessitate some additional Friday classes and some classes being held on weekends. We will be asking faculty to revise teaching plans accordingly, as well as to be prepared to transition to online teaching for anyone whose learning might be disrupted. We also plan to offer most of our in-person classes simultaneously in an online format to accommodate the individual health circumstances of our students and faculty.

This schedule, coupled with changes to our facilities to meet social distancing and physical density best practices, reduces the risks and exposures associated with travel to and from campus, and prepares us for the possibility of a second wave of COVID-19 cases. The Fall 2020 Open Working Group—consisting of deans, associate deans, faculty and staff—has been working to ensure every aspect of the University is prepared when students return to campus in August. This schedule has been strongly recommended by the Public Health and Emergency Management Subcommittee of the Working Group. As details of plans are finalized, we will regularly engage with and update our community with new information. The first update will come next week. As we have done from the beginning, all decisions will be informed by guidance from state and public health officials and will prioritize the safety and well-being of our campus community.

This fall, Syracuse University will continue to deliver on its mission to provide a distinctive and rigorous academic experience to all our students. We appreciate your continued patience, flexibility and understanding as we work to provide a safe and productive fall semester for everyone.

Sincerely,

Chancellor Kent Syverud

Interim Vice Chancellor and Provost John Liu

Interim Deputy Senior Vice President Amanda Nicholson

  • Author

News Staff

  • Recent
  • Student’s Mobile Upcycled Clothing Business Turns Trash Into Treasures
    Friday, August 22, 2025, By Diane Stirling
  • Q&A for “Will Work for Food,” a new book exploring labor and the food chain
    Friday, August 22, 2025, By Ellen Mbuqe
  • Chaz Barracks Fuses Art, Scholarship and Community in Summer Residency
    Thursday, August 21, 2025, By News Staff
  • Welcome Week 2025: What You Need to Know
    Tuesday, August 19, 2025, By Kathleen Haley
  • How Otto the Orange Spent Their Summer Vacation (Video)
    Tuesday, August 19, 2025, By News Staff

More In Campus & Community

Heartfelt Gift Recognizes Accomplished Alumna and 3 Generations of Orange

William Pelton and Mary Jane Massie have created the Barringer Pelton Public Service Graduate Scholarship to honor their niece, Jody Barringer ’95, L’98, G’08 (M.P.A.), and support future public servants. After working for a few years as an attorney focused…

Families Offer Words of Wisdom During Welcome Week Move In (Video)

Nearly 4,300 new undergraduate students arrived on campus this week, many of them with families and cars filled to the brim. As families help their children settle into their home away from home, they’re also sharing advice for the year…

Chaz Barracks Fuses Art, Scholarship and Community in Summer Residency

With a GoPro strapped to his helmet and a microphone clipped to his bike, Chaz Antoine Barracks spent the summer pedaling through Homer, New York, transforming everyday encounters into both scholarship and art. The filmmaker, media scholar and postdoctoral fellow…

The New York State Fair: Everything You Need to Know

Late August in Central New York not only means the return of students to the Syracuse University campus, but also the return of the New York State Fair. The fair is a 13-day festival of entertainment, agricultural exhibitions, cultural performances…

Department of Public Safety Celebrates Graduation of 9th Peace Officer Academy

On Aug. 14, the Department of Public Safety (DPS) welcomed families, friends and colleagues of the 9th Peace Officer Academy recruits to a graduation event. The ceremony, held at Drumlins Country Club, was the perfect culmination of their accomplishments over…

Subscribe to SU Today

If you need help with your subscription, contact sunews@syr.edu.

Connect With Us

  • X
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Youtube
  • LinkedIn
Social Media Directory

For the Media

Find an Expert Follow @SyracuseUNews
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Youtube
  • LinkedIn
  • @SyracuseU
  • @SyracuseUNews
  • Social Media Directory
  • Accessibility
  • Privacy
  • Campus Status
  • Syracuse.edu
© 2025 Syracuse University News. All Rights Reserved.