UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Penn State plans to begin the semester in person as planned, however with local COVID-19 hospitalizations at an all-time high, and the uneven spread of the omicron variant creating uncertainty, Penn State officials are reminding the University Park campus community, out of an abundance of caution, to be prepared to alter plans, should the University need to start the spring semester remotely. Penn State will update the community on Dec. 30. 

"Our overriding concern remains the health and safety of our campus and local community,” said Penn State President Eric Barron. “As I have said throughout the pandemic, the University has developed a number of on-ramps and off-ramps to address situations that may emerge. We fully expect to start the spring semester as planned with in-person classes and activities, but we also wanted to let the University Park campus community know that we are continuing to monitor local conditions and are prepared to alter return plans for the semester if deemed necessary.” 

Barron said the University’s COVID-19 Operations Control Center will continue to monitor pandemic conditions over the winter break and will be in contact with local health care and government officials.  

The University has been closely watching the conditions around its Commonwealth Campuses, and, at this time, they are all expected to begin the semester in person as planned, given their smaller student populations and greater regional health care capacity. 

If in-person classes are delayed at University Park, faculty members will be permitted to use classrooms to conduct classes remotely and staff members will be expected to report to work as normal. 

Visit virusinfo.psu.edu for the latest information on the coronavirus pandemic and the University’s response.