{"id":2019,"date":"2020-09-22T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2020-09-22T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.mtsu.edu\/blogtest\/sept-22-spring-2021-semester-beginning-jan-25-spring-break-cancelled\/"},"modified":"2026-04-15T15:21:54","modified_gmt":"2026-04-15T20:21:54","slug":"sept-22-spring-2021-semester-beginning-jan-25-spring-break-cancelled","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mtsu.edu\/president\/sept-22-spring-2021-semester-beginning-jan-25-spring-break-cancelled\/","title":{"rendered":"SEPT. 22: Spring 2021 semester beginning Jan. 25, Spring Break cancelled"},"content":{"rendered":"
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To the University community,<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>We are in the fifth week of the Fall 2020 semester! I deeply appreciate the hard work and thoughtful actions by our faculty, staff and administration, which has allowed us to keep our University open and running as we grapple with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. We have reached this point also due to the vigilance of our students and community in following our health and safety guidelines, including the wearing of masks.<\/span><\/p>\n

Meanwhile, as we continue to extend our efforts to mitigate COVID-19 risks on campus, our attention now must also turn to the upcoming Spring 2021 semester. Among the first matters we must consider is the Spring 2021 Academic Calendar, which must be decided upon soon so we can schedule classes and begin our priority registration process.<\/span><\/p>\n

Based upon the recommendations of our executive leadership team, and in concurrence with our campus health officials, I have decided it is in our best interest to compress the Academic Calendar as much as possible for the Spring, much like we did for the current Fall semester. As such, we will begin classes for Spring 2021 one week later, with instruction beginning Monday, Jan. 25, and we will also cancel the 2021 Spring Break, which was set for March 8-13.<\/span><\/p>\n

I have decided, however, to add a study day on Friday, March 12, that I hope will allow our community to take a brief pause and prepare for the final weeks of the Spring semester. We\u2019ll suspend classes for that day, but we will keep open the James E. Walker Library and other academic resources.<\/span><\/p>\n

We do not make these decisions lightly. However, in line with our decision to cancel the 2020 Fall Break, a condensed semester keeps our community focused on completing coursework and reduces the risk of spreading COVID-19 that could come from back-and-forth travel by our university community from Spring Break locations.<\/span><\/p>\n

Finally, some important reminders:<\/span><\/p>\n