Syracuse, N.Y. — In a letter to the Syracuse University community on Thursday, Syracuse Chancellor Kent Syverud said that the school is currently planning a return to on-campus learning for the fall but that it will have to take “bold actions” to respond to the financial stress caused by the pandemic.

Syverud wrote that school officials are developing multiple plans for fall under the assumption that on-campus learning can resume. He noted that the school would follow the guidance and direction of health officials and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and would prioritize the safety of students, faculty and staff.

“It remains my hope and intention that we will be welcoming students back to campus this fall,” Syverud wrote. “Our daily decisions, actions and assumptions are based in cautious optimism that Syracuse University will resume residential instruction in fall 2020.”

Syverud said that a return might force the school to change some of the ways that it has traditionally operated.

“It’s true that a return to campus in the fall will likely require us to embrace new practices and set new conditions related to places and spaces where we learn, study, conduct research and work,” Syverud wrote. “However, I am confident that the ingenuity, creativity and resilience that define our Orange community will position us to overcome these challenges in a way consistent with our longstanding commitment to academic excellence.”

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The school recently told students that it would use online learning for all of its summer classes.

National media reports over the past week have highlighted the fact that some schools, particularly Boston University, are crafting plans in case students are not be able to return to on-campus learning until 2021. Boston University said the discussions are only precautionary and that it considers that scenario “unlikely."

Syverud also noted that the pandemic has placed financial stress on the school and that it would have to take “bold actions” to respond. His letter did not offer an idea of what those actions might include or when they might be announced. He wrote that the belt-tightening that has taken place since his arrival has better positioned that school to respond to this pandemic.

“The uncertainty ahead combined with the financial toll that the COVID-19 pandemic has already levied on our university requires us to take bold actions,” Syverud wrote." We will make these choices with care and intent to protect our community and secure our future as a world-class and student-focused research institution."

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