PEORIA, ILLINOIS (February 17, 2021) — Assuming the trend of declining numbers of positive COVID-19 cases and low positivity rates continues on campus and throughout our region and nation, Bradley University plans to return to traditional residential education with in-person, face-to-face, on-campus learning and activities for the fall 2021 semester and beyond.
“Bradley is committed to being fully back on campus in the fall, but the specifics are still being worked out,” said Bradley President Stephen Standifird. “We plan to return to in-person learning as our primary delivery method, while following all federal, state and local guidelines, including those regarding masks, physical distancing, testing protocols, gathering sizes and any new guidelines that may be added.”
Standifird added Bradley has made its decisions based on science since the start of the pandemic and that will not change. “We are still closely monitoring the virus, the vaccination process and the multiple variants popping up around the globe. We will remain agile and ready to modify our behaviors and operations if warranted.”
The Bradley community has shown a high level of resilience, and its ability to pivot and adapt during the pandemic has been met with success. Bradley instituted a two-week all campus quarantine mid-fall due to a rise in positive cases on campus, but was able to mitigate the spread and return to in-person learning to finish the semester as planned with a relatively low positivity rate.
As a result of the community's commitment to following the science, 60% of Bradley’s courses are in person and fewer than one third of undergraduate students are remote learning during the spring semester. Standifird said “With the lessons learned during the past year and success in our mitigation efforts, we are confident we will have a successful spring and will continue to be resilient and sustainable as we move toward fall 2021.”
Bradley is dedicated to providing a quality educational experience, empowering students for immediate and sustained success in their personal and professional lives and making the entire campus community’s health and wellbeing a priority.
To learn more about Bradley University’s COVID-19 plans visit our website.
Bradley University is a top-ranked, private university in Peoria, Illinois, offering 5,400 undergraduate and graduate students the opportunities, choices, and resources of a larger university and the personal attention and exceptional learning experience of a smaller university. Bradley offers a comprehensive array of undergraduate and graduate academic programs in business, communications, education, engineering, fine arts, health sciences, liberal arts and sciences, and technology. The University is located on an 85-acre campus in the largest metropolitan area in central Illinois.
