Coastal Carolina to begin and end fall semester online, won’t require on-campus learning
Coastal Carolina University will begin the Fall 2020 semester as scheduled on Aug. 19, but it will continue with online instruction until at least Sept. 8, and will revert back to online instruction following the Thanksgiving break.
The school will also allow students to spend the entire semester learning remotely and forego planned on-campus classes between Sept. 8 and the Thanksgiving break.
The school announced parts of the academic plan Tuesday morning through a video to students. CCU launched a 30-day video campaign on July 20 to communicate the multiple aspects of life for students in the fall semester as safety measures have been implemented in response to the global coronavirus pandemic.
The decisions have been made with the best interest of CCU’s students, faculty and staff in mind, school president David DeCenzo said.
“The well-being of the entire campus community is always our top priority,” DeCenzo said in a release Friday. “The decision to delay in-person instruction for a few weeks provides us with the best scenario to safely resume on-campus operations.
“Upon our return to campus, it will be essential for all members of Teal Nation to wear face coverings inside buildings, practice physical distancing, and follow the protocols established in our Coastal Comeback Plan to help prevent the spread of the COVID-19 virus.”
As previously planned, CCU will welcome new resident students on Aug. 12-14, and returning residents on Aug. 15-16. University Housing will provide a second move-in on Sept. 3-4 based on resident demand.
Students who choose the September move-in window will receive a two-week housing and dining credit. University Housing will send an email to all residents by 5 p.m. Tuesday requesting that they confirm or change their move-in plans online at MyCoastalHome.
CCU will continually update reopening plans at the Coastal Comeback Plan website.
The state of South Carolina and Horry County specifically have had high coronavirus numbers since June. The S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control reports a total of 7,174 positive coronavirus cases in Horry County since mid-March as of Thursday, including 97 deaths due to the virus. There were 926 confirmed cases in the county last week.
Coastal Carolina is in dire financial need of hosting students on campus, as it finished the 2019-20 school year with remote learning and had to refund room and board charges.
The school promises professors will be interactive and engaging with online teaching, with more developed lesson plans in the fall as opposed to reactive emergency lesson plans in the spring.
CCU has announced that job cuts and furloughs are part of its cost-cutting efforts to combat the financial impact of the pandemic.
A “reduction in force” and furloughs are included in the second phase of a three-phase cost-cutting plan, according to Martha Hunn, the university’s Associate Vice President and Chief Communication Officer. The second phase was to be completed this summer, Hunn said.
DeCenzo announced the three-phase plan in April that he anticipated would be necessary to stabilize the budget, according to Hunn. The first phase included an evaluation of operations and payroll to identify savings, and the third phase includes possible further cuts in operations and payroll once enrollment for the 2020 fall semester is determined.
Hunn said the university will not provide further details on the job cuts.
Employees face furloughs up to three weeks
A vast majority of CCU employees will be or have been furloughed for up to 20 days, according to a plan obtained by The Sun News that was approved by the S.C. General Assembly.
Employees making more than $35,751 will be furloughed for 20 days without pay, multiple sources confirmed.
Other employees may see furloughs up to 15 days depending on their salaries. Those making between $33,101 and $33,600 will have one furlough day; between $33,601 and $34,350 will have five days; $34,351 and $35,000 will have 10 days; and $35,001 and $35,750 will have 15 days.
Furloughs can be taken throughout the 2021 fiscal year, which began July 1, and the plan is designed to save the university $7 million.
CCU has previously announced it will not raise tuition, which may help some students afford enrollment but will contribute to budget constraints. University leaders expect a 15 percent reduction in revenue across the board, according to the furlough plans, including a decrease in enrollment numbers.
Statehouse leaders passed a budget that maintained current spending levels, meaning CCU won’t get additional money from the state.
Joe Moglia, who is chairman of athletics, executive director of football and an executive advisor to CCU’s president, said he will forego his annual salary of $177,000 for the 2020-21 school year to assist the university financially.
Higher education institutions across the country are in similar situations because of the coronavirus and have announced cost-cutting measures.
This story was originally published July 24, 2020 at 11:35 AM.
