Similar to other universities across the country, the staff and faculty at Humboldt State University are spending this summer planning for a very different Fall semester.

HSU now has a much better idea of what the semester will look like, with plans in place for courses, campus life, residential living, student support, and more. It’s all based on our unique circumstances and with a focus on health and safety. We have also learned valuable lessons along the way, and we know this pandemic may force us to change plans quickly. We’re also ready for that, too.

Details and updates are at CampusReady.humboldt.edu.

One way to think about Humboldt this fall is that it will be more like the current situation at our local retail stores rather than at our really busy haircutters. It seems odd I would use a haircutting example, given the length of my hair, but stick with me on this example. The campus will be physically open. There will just be fewer people and a little less energy.

The most important thing is that we will be offering a full semester of courses, with a mix of virtual and face-to-face instruction. Enrollment will be down, but we expected it to be down and our projections, sadly, are close to accurate. Our growth remains in transfer students, and this is fantastic. Transfer students are successful, often slightly older, and more independent. Because campus is primarily virtual, there won’t be the bustle of students between classes or during the noon hour, and the “density” of faculty and staff on campus will also be much lower, with many continuing to telecommute to help with social distancing efforts. Student services and activities will be offered in more limited versions in-person while the virtual offerings will be significantly expanded. These are evolutionary changes for HSU.

There will be about half as many students living on campus, roughly 1,000 in all, and probably not as many as usual living nearby. There won’t be the rush of new and returning students coming to our region in August that we’re used to. In fact, many of our students are already here. This surprises people, but we estimate that just over 3,000 students are living here on the North Coast this summer, with some at home with families and more than the usual number choosing not to return home for the break. These students have made the North Coast their current home, and isn’t that what we have been wanting as a community?

Because of our hands-on “learning by doing” approach, Humboldt State will have a higher percentage of in-person courses than most of the other 22 campuses in the CSU system. The classes we may offer in-person are those that have labs, activities, field-based work, or other hands-on experiences. Some examples of these courses are sculpture, darkroom photography, ceramics, painting, biochemistry, soils, ocean lab, and ballet.

At Humboldt, “hands-on” applies to fully 25 percent of classes, and that has made our approach to the coming year very different than a typical CSU campus.

It will certainly be memorable. To find a fall semester so significantly different you have to look to the times during World War II or the Great Depression. Even then, my guess is the change and adjustments to campus life were not quite so extensive as we are about to experience.

I remain confident we will handle this in true and unique Humboldt style. We will learn and make the best of what lies in front of us, support one another, and celebrate our many successes. We will also remain focused on offering a positive, meaningful educational experience for our students and on being a strong partner with North Coast communities.

Be well.

Dr. Tom Jackson Jr. is the president of Humboldt State University.