Sioux Center, Iowa — The administration at Dordt University in Sioux Center has decided that students will not be coming back to attend classes in-person this school year.
The Dordt leadership team tells us they have made the decision that Dordt will not resume on-campus instruction on Monday, April 13, as previously communicated. Dordt will extend online instruction to the end of the spring semester.
The team says they came to this decision after careful consideration of many factors. For example, over the last week, COVID-19 cases have increased nationwide and in the state of Iowa. They say they also determined that many Dordt students would not be able to readily return to campus, as they would need to self-quarantine for 14 days upon their return. According to the team, it is likely that more than one-third of the student body could not return to campus due to distance or expense. They tell us the health and safety of Dordt students and the community is of utmost importance to them.
The team says they believe the student experience through this time will be strong.
They say Dordt University will host commencement at 11 a.m. CDT on Friday, May 8. And they anticipate this will be a virtual experience. Dordt says they will provide additional information in the coming weeks. All other spring semester events are postponed or canceled. Dordt will continue to post updates on dordt.edu/coronavirus.
The Dordt team also tells us that they continue to pray for the Dordt student who tested positive for COVID-19 while at her home in Canada. They say they are grateful that she is feeling better and is on the road to recovery.
