UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Penn State President Eric Barron will host a virtual Town Hall event at 3 p.m. on Thursday, July 30, to provide updates and discuss the University’s plans for the start of fall semester. The event will be shown on LiveEvents.psu.edu, and will be archived and online for later viewing. 

 Joining Barron will be: 

• Nick Jones, executive vice president and provost; 

• Dr. Kevin Black, interim dean of the College of Medicine;  

• Damon Sims, vice president for Student Affairs; and 

• Lorraine Goffe, vice president for Human Resources. 

The panel will cover a range of topics, including plans for symptomatic and asymptomatic testing, surveillance and contact tracing; student requirements; campus safety protocols; data sharing; and return to work and return to research. 

“The University has been solidifying various critical elements to support our Back to State plan, and we look forward to updating our undergraduate students, graduate students, faculty and staff, across all of our campuses and communities on our preparations and plans for the upcoming semester,” Barron said. 

Since the start of the pandemic, Penn State leaders have hosted a number of town hall events, including a pair of virtual town halls for  students  and  faculty and staff  on March 24, a  follow-up event  on May 19 and another pair for students and faculty and staff on June 22. Virtual town halls have also been hosted by the  Graduate School  and  Office of Global Programs. 

Updated information on Penn State’s response to the coronavirus pandemic can be found at https://virusinfo.psu.edu/.