Greetings from Missouri Baptist University, I hope this letter finds you and your family healthy and well. As we turn the page on the spring semester, we are now fully focusing our attention on the upcoming fall semester. The MBU community couldn’t be more excited to welcome your son or daughter into a new chapter—one that I am confident will be transformational and full of promise.
First, let me address the question that is likely on everyone’s minds: “Does MBU plan to resume in-person classes on main campus and will the residence halls be open?” The answer is a resounding yes! We have every intention and are fully preparing to welcome MBU students to campus beginning with Welcome Weekend on August 14.
Most important, the University’s decision to begin the fall semester on campus is contingent upon our readiness to keep the MBU community safe and well. To that end, the University’s leadership team has been preparing for the fall semester through a comprehensive, University-wide planning process—one that involves extensive risk assessment and scenario planning. This planning process will no doubt result in significant modification to the way we operate and the implementation of on-campus practices. As always, providing high-quality instruction to our students remains a top priority; nonetheless, on-campus, face-to-face instruction might look different than it did prior to the Covid-19 pandemic. The University is expected to adopt social distancing practices in classrooms, residence halls and dining and gathering spaces on campus. We will certainly continue to follow the recommendations for best practices provided by area health professionals.
As a proud MBU alumnus who has devoted my career to this University, I can confidently say there are few communities that are more caring, compassionate and hope-filled than Missouri Baptist University. I can assure you those defining characteristics will serve us well as we prepare to keep the MBU community safe and well in the fall. You should expect to receive much more detail regarding MBU’s plans for the fall semester in the coming weeks.
Please join me in prayer for all who have been impacted by Covid-19 around the world, and for all of us in our Spartan community as we prepare with great anticipation and excitement for the 2020-2021 academic year.
