The campus we will be returning to in Fall 2021 will not be the same campus we are accustomed to. We will be living and learning in a new world with new rules, but the spirit that has always guided Chestnut Hill College will still be with us. The creativity and resilience shown by the Chestnut Hill College community over the last months are now being channeled into a Fall 2021 re-opening. There are certainly many challenges and considerations in bringing people back to campus to learn, live, and work, but we will face these challenges together as a community. We look forward to working together in order to ensure a safe, successful, and exciting return. We know that a successful reopening will require the vigilance, cooperation, and dedication of everyone at Chestnut Hill College. In these unprecedented times we have already witnessed so many examples of the strength and dedication of our community and we are confident this commitment will make Fall 2021, while certainly far from our old normal, an opportunity for continued growth and unity.

The task force report, through which the information on this website guide has been informed, is made based upon what is currently known about COVID-19 and incorporates public health and safety recommendations based on local, state, and federal guidance. The recommendations, policies, procedures, and expectations contained in this guide may change at any time as the pandemic continues to evolve; readers of this guide should expect changes as the College continues to incorporate new guidance and best practices in preparation for the Fall 2021 semester.

Grounded in Mission

The plan to re-open Chestnut Hill College is grounded in the mission of the College. The mission of Chestnut Hill College is to provide students with holistic education in an inclusive Catholic community marked by academic excellence, shared responsibility, personal and professional growth, service to one another and to the global community, and concern for the Earth.

Growing from the mission, the Core Values of Chestnut Hill College provide the College community with a structure for a safe and educationally meaningful return to campus. While specific details are contained in this guide, here are examples of the centrality of the Core Values to the work of the COVID-19 task force:

We value personal and professional growth throughout the community:

• Members of our community commit to being life-long learners, which includes adapting to previously unimagined circumstances;
• Members of our community are asked to continue to educate themselves about how to reduce exposure of themselves and others to COVID-19.

We value academic excellence:

• Members of our community are asked to teach and learn in ways that challenge faculty and students to use online learning practices in learning experiences that are normally classroom-based
• Members of our community are challenged to continue striving for excellence both in person and in the virtual educational environment.

We value ethical principles:

• Members of our community are asked to engage in an honest daily practice of health self-monitoring and self-assessment;
• Members of our community are asked to be supportive of each other in order to counter the stigma associated with self-reporting and quarantining.

We Value Holistic Pursuit of Truth, Integrity, and Justice:

• Members of our community are reminded of our call to care for the most vulnerable amongst us and to act in ways that support the health of our entire community and respect each other in our community;
• Members of our community are reminded of our call to protect the rights of all through meeting our communal and individual responsibilities; decisions made in this lens help to protect all people in our community.

We value inclusive community:

• Members of our community are asked to support one another and check-in on each other in ways that promote physical distancing but also support engagement;
• Members of our community are reminded that we are all created in the image and likeness of God and thus called to respect human dignity and to be certain that the needs to all members are considered in decision making and planning;
• Members of our community are reminded of our commitment to an active inclusive love of all Dear Neighbors without distinction.