May 15, 2020

Dear Seton Hill Students,

I hope you and your families continue to stay safe and healthy.

We have just completed a most extraordinary semester in the history of Seton Hill University.  While the last two months have been daunting, our Seton Hill students, faculty and staff found creative ways to complete their class work and stay connected with one another. Your resilience, determination and positivity in the face of adversity, and the ways we have come together despite the distance, are amazing.

Since your departure from campus in March, Seton Hill has continued intensive planning and preparation to determine what the Fall 2020 semester will look like and how we can proceed in the safest manner given the COVID-19 pandemic.

In everything we do, Seton Hill continues to make its highest priority the safety, health and well-being of the entire university community.

These times are uncertain ones that require planning for various contingencies in all aspects of our lives.  I want you to know that all of us at Seton Hill are focusing our planning on beginning the fall semester on Monday, August 17 in our traditional manner of offering face to face classes on a residential campus. University leadership and health care professionals have worked to implement new protocols—and have expanded existing ones—that follow the protective policies, guidelines and requirements offered by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the American College Health Association (ACHA). 

Relative to those guidelines, Seton Hill administration along with key faculty, staff, and health care experts are engaged in the development of a comprehensive health and safety plan for all areas of campus life.  This plan includes enhanced protocols for cleaning, disinfecting and sanitizing all campus spaces including classrooms, laboratories, studios, residence halls and dining facilities; planning for appropriate social distancing in classrooms, co-curricular and event spaces, residence halls, and dining facilities; providing additional resources for students through Counseling, Disability and Health Services; and establishing procedures for managing visitors to campus.  The university will continue to monitor national and state guidelines and update the institution’s health and safety plan with the most current recommendations.

In the coming weeks, I will continue to keep you informed about additional details regarding Seton Hill’s plans and how they align with Westmoreland County moving into the Green Phase under Governor Tom Wolf’s process for reopening Pennsylvania.  Please also monitor Seton Hill’s COVID-19 response website for information.

We look forward to welcoming you back on campus in August and providing you with a Setonian educational experience of the highest quality in the tradition of the Sisters of Charity.  Please continue to stay healthy and safe.

Sincerely,

Dr. Finger

Mary C. Finger, Ed.D.

President