The tentative Ithaca College 2020–21 academic calendar has been released and includes reduced breaks.

President Shirley M. Collado announced the new 2020–21 academic calendar and shared information about the Return to Campus Task Force via email to the college community May 26. The 2020–21 academic year will begin in person Oct. 5. There will be no fall break, and Thanksgiving break will be two days. There will be a two week winter break, with fall semester classes resuming Jan. 4. The spring semester will begin Feb. 4. There will be a four day spring break, finals will occur the week of May 17 and commencement is scheduled for May 30, which is Memorial Day weekend. The academic calendar dates are based on state and federal guidelines, which are subject to change, the email stated.

The Fall 2020 finals week, which will take place the last week of January, may take place virtually, the email stated. During all breaks, there will be incentives for students to stay on campus rather than returning home

In Fall 2019, classes began Aug. 28, with fall break Oct. 17–20 and a week-long Thanksgiving break. Fall 2019 finals ended Dec. 19, and the Spring 2020 semester began Jan. 21. In Spring 2020, spring break was scheduled from March 7–15 and was later extended for an extra week due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The calendar will include off days for the college community to take time off from academics with down-time programs, the email stated.

The email stated that Collado officially charged the Return to Campus Task Force, a group of leaders at the college, to ensure the reopening and return to the campus will follow the appropriate health and safety guidelines. The task force will begin immediately and will launch its plans in September. These plans will include figuring out how classes, teaching, living, dining and other on-campus activities can be conducted while maintaining federal and local guidelines, the email stated.

The Return to Campus Task Force steering committee is made up of Rosanna Ferro, vice president for student affairs and campus life, and La Jerne Cornish, provost and senior vice president for academic affairs, as co-chairs.

The other members of the committee include: Guilherme Costa, vice president for legal affairs, general counsel and Secretary to the Board; Bill Guerrero, vice president for finance and administration; Odalys Diaz Piñeiro, chief of staff to President Collado; Ellyn Sellers-Selin, physician and medical services director; Bill Kerry, director of public safety and emergency management; Tim Ryan, assistant director for environmental health and safety; Christina Moylan, associate dean of the School of Health Sciences & Human Performance; Tim Carey, associate vice president for facilities, finance and administration; David Weil, associate vice president for information technology, finance and administration; Chief Communications Officer Bob Wagner; and Doreen Hettich-Atkins, director for strategic planning and administration.

There are nine subgroups within the task force to focus on specific areas surrounding reopening, the email stated.

The Academic and Classroom Planning subgroup is led by Moylan and Sean Reid, dean of the School of Business.

The Residential Life and Housing subgroup is led by Dean of Students Bonnie Prunty and Marsha Dawson, director of residential life and judicial affairs.

The Faculty and Staff Return to Work subgroup is led by Brad Hougham, associate provost for faculty affairs, and Michelle Hammond, associate director of talent acquisitions.

The Athletics and Recreational Sports subgroup is led by Susan Bassett, associate vice president and director of intercollegiate athletics and recreational sports.

The Campus Programming, Events and Student Engagement subgroup is led by Michele Lenhart, director of student engagement, student affairs and campus life, and Margie Malepe, director of conference and event services.

The Counseling, Health and Wellness Services subgroup is led by Sellers-Selin and Brian Petersen, director of counseling and psychological services.

The Communications subgroup is led by Wagner and Melissa Gattine, executive director of marketing strategy.

The On Campus Dining subgroup is led by Dave Prunty, executive director of auxiliary services.

The Facilities Management & Operations subgroup is led by Carey.

The college also created a Health and Safety Advisory Group to review the health and safety plans of the college and work with local, state and federal health groups to provide testing for the campus community, plans for containment, surveillance, contact tracing and plan for quarantine and isolation procedures if necessary.

The college created a website to share information about reopening the campus and will share information about the task force’s progress. Questions or thoughts about reopening can be sent to [email protected]