The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette recently offered an inside look at the decision-making process that led to Allegheny College’s announcement that the college is planning to open for on-campus living and instruction in the fall.
The article, “Inside Allegheny College’s decision to open or close in a pandemic,” describes the questions and issues that Allegheny President Hilary L. Link and her leadership team considered as they developed plans for the 2020–21 academic year. “We all definitely want to reopen, but we have an obligation to our community to do it safely,” Link told the Post-Gazette, which was granted access to a series of meetings in which college leaders decided if the school could open this fall.
“The hourlong ‘core group’ meetings that Ms. Link and a handful of senior administrators held to figure out the plan for fall were extensions of a dozen campus implementation groups that met to discuss topics from health to pedagogy,” the article states.
Allegheny has established several fundamental principles for returning to campus, which guide all decision-making throughout the planning process: protecting the health and safety of students, employees and members of the greater Meadville/Crawford County Community; maintaining its commitment to equity and diversity and equal access for all students to the academic, social and wellness (physical and emotional) resources available at the college; and preserving the college’s core mission as a residential liberal arts institution that equips graduates with the skills to address complex global challenges.
