Message From the President: Changes to the Academic Calendar Due to Coronavirus Pandemic

As you know, the spread of COVID-19 has necessitated several changes in the way instruction is provided at Montgomery College and at colleges across the state and country. My senior leadership team, with guidance from the Coronavirus Advisory Team, is adapting daily to changes in our landscape to keep our community healthy while continuing to provide high quality instruction.

After careful consideration, the College will make several important changes to the academic calendar.

• Remote teaching and learning will continue through the end of the spring semester.
• On May 2, 2020, the College will transition to a period designed to help students in need of academic support and assessment. This assistance and assessment period will last from May 4 to May 13. The length of the semester will not change, but—due to the disruptions caused by this emergency—the College is devoting this special period to ensuring that students and faculty are able to transition successfully to remote teaching and learning.
  The spring 2020 semester formally ends on May 22, 2020.
• All College employees will continue to work remotely until otherwise indicated. A review of the College’s status will take place on April 15 and updates will be communicated.

• From May 25 to June 5, some faculty will be assigned to work with any students planning to transfer who may have incompletes as a result of disruptions to the spring semester.
• Summer Session I will begin on June 8 and run through July 10. Courses will be online only.
• Summer Session II will begin on July 11 and run through August 21. It will consist of a combination of online and face-to-face courses—assuming that the public health emergency allows for this.

As the semester progresses, the College may find that it needs to adapt further to requirements of this emergency. Future adjustments may concern final exams, grading options, courses with required labs, those with clinical requirements, practicums and more.

Academics requires careful adherence to regulations and requirements from the U.S. Department of Education, the Maryland Higher Education Commission, and the Middle States Commission on Higher Education. The College is currently assessing how to structure any future adjustments to ensure we remain in compliance with regulatory and legal requirements. Several important areas of focus remain, including

• the transferability of courses to other institutions,
• sequencing of courses, and
• financial aid issues, which also encompass student Satisfactory Academic Progress requirements.

The Board of Trustees has provided me with valuable guidance throughout this transition and has encouraged the College to focus on academic excellence and financial sustainability, two goals that have figured prominently in the work of the board in the past year. The board has been instrumental in providing guidance throughout this transition and will, undoubtedly, continue to emphasize these priorities to me as we continue to make important decisions about the organization in the months to come.

We appreciate your patience while we work through these details and will communicate them as quickly as possible. Thank you for your extraordinary service and commitment to students during this challenging transition.

View the coronavirus webpage for updates.