Cedar Crest College, DeSales University, and Moravian College Announce that all Classes are Moving Online while Campuses Remain Open
Note: this announcement no longer contains the most recent information. Please refer to the most recent updates at desales.edu/COVID-19
Residence halls and dining facilities to remain open
Today, Cedar Crest College, DeSales University and Moravian College jointly announced that all three institutions will move all classes online, beginning the week of March 16.
Each school will determine when it resumes on-campus classes. Residence halls and dining facilities on all three campuses will remain open and students will have the opportunity to self-select where they choose to take their online classes, in their on-campus residence or at their homes.
“Cedar Crest, along with DeSales, and Moravian are all committed to staying open while keeping our students, faculty, and staff as safe as possible,” said Elizabeth Meade, president of Cedar Crest College. “The move to online classes next week will help all three schools address those goals.”
All three presidents cited the need to encourage social distancing on campus as another tactic to combat the spread of COVID-19 among students, faculty, and staff while providing students with limited housing options outside of campus a safe place to continue their studies online.
“The faculties and staff in our schools are working above and beyond in this crisis, and they are to be commended,” said Fr. Jim Greenfield, president of DeSales University. “As we all know, our institutions are only as great as the women and men who stand with and before our students.”
In addition to moving all classes online, each institution will enact individual policies to manage gatherings on campus aligned with the guidance from public health officials.
“We know that many students may not have viable housing and dining options available to them if we closed our campuses completely,” said Bryon Grigsby, president of Moravian College. “By keeping campus open and allowing students to continue their academic progress online, we feel we have their best interests, and well-being, in mind and are practicing effective social distancing.”
Dining facilities will remain open and extra precautions have been taken to maintain safe dining environments on all three campuses. The facilities teams at all three schools continue to sanitize surfaces in public and private spaces and provide resources to prevent germs. In addition to the sanitizing of bathrooms, kitchens, and common spaces, additional hand sanitizers have been placed at strategic locations and public gathering spaces around all three campuses.
Visit the links below for additional COVID-19 information from each school:
Media contact(s):
Moravian College
Michael Corr
Director of Marketing and Communications
corrm@moravian.edu
610.861.1365
DeSales University
Rev. Kevin Nadolski, OSFS
Vice President for Mission
Kevin.Nadolski@desales.edu
610-282-1100, ext. 1580
Cedar Crest College
Allison Goodin
Director of Marketing & Communications
allison.goodin@cedarcrest.edu
610-606-4666 ext. 3638
About Cedar Crest College
Located in Allentown, Pa., Cedar Crest College was selected as a “Top Regional College” and a “Best Value” in U.S. News & World Report’s Best Colleges rankings from 2012-2019 and a “Best College for Veterans” in 2015, 2016, 2018 and 2019. In addition, the College was recognized as a 2018-2019 College of Distinction, and the School of Adult and Graduate Education was ranked a Top 25 school for non-traditional students by Best College Reviews in 2017. Cedar Crest was ranked by College Choice as the number twelve best women’s college in 2016. Founded in 1867, Cedar Crest currently enrolls approximately 1,700 students—full-time, part-time and graduate—in more than 50 fields of study.
About DeSales University
DeSales University, in Center Valley, PA., is a private, coeducational, four-year liberal arts university affiliated with the Roman Catholic Church. Founded by the Oblates of Saint Francis de Sales in 1965, the 550-acre suburban campus is located about 50 miles north of Philadelphia and 90 miles southwest of New York City. A total enrollment of nearly 3,500 includes undergraduate day and evening students and graduate students. DeSales has approximately 130 full-time faculty members and offers more than 40 bachelor’s degrees and ten graduate programs in a wide range of disciplines.
About Moravian College
Moravian College is the nation's sixth-oldest college located in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania offering undergraduate and graduate degrees that blend liberal arts with professional programs. For more than 275 years, the Moravian College degree has been preparing students for reflective lives, fulfilling careers, and transformative leadership in a world of change. Moravian College is a member of The New American Colleges and Universities (NAC&U), a national consortium of selective, small to mid-size independent colleges and universities dedicated to the purposeful integration of liberal education, professional studies, and civic engagement. Visit moravian.edu to learn more about how the Moravian College focus on education for all prepares its students for life-long success.