Ithaca College will continue remote instruction for the remainder of the semester and commencement has been moved to Aug. 1 for the Class of 2020, according to a campuswide email sent March 17.

The college originally extended spring break an extra week until March 22 and classes were going to be held online until April 6. Commencement was originally scheduled for May 17. The decision to move online for the remainder of the semester was in response to precautionary measures outlined by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and New York State that banned gatherings of over 50 people for at least the next eight weeks, said Ithaca College President Shirley M. Collado via the campuswide email. 

“I ask for your continued patience as we move forward through this difficult time, and your understanding that we are doing our very best to navigate the fluidity of this public health crisis in a thoughtful, intentional way,” Collado said in the email. 

Collado said students should anticipate an email March 17 with further instruction from Rosanna Ferro, vice president of student affairs and campus life.

The college has not announced how it will proceed with remote work and payment of employees, including student employees. Hayley Harris, vice president in the Office of Human and Organizational Development and Planning, said in a campuswide email March 16 that all nonessential staff will be working remotely as of March 17. 

Collado said in the email that faculty should expect an email shortly from La Jerne Cornish, provost and senior vice president for academic affairs, with further instruction. 

“I know that responding to this situation has required our community to have tremendous flexibility, presence of mind in the midst of uncertainty, and creative thinking about how we can do our work in new ways,” Collado said in the campuswide email. “You have all stepped up to support one another as people and as professionals, and I am so proud to be a part of this community.”