Rosemont One Year Later Katie DuBoff
It’s been a year of Zoom, masks, and social distancing. Through it all, Rosemont has maintained a low positivity rate and kept students engaged. Let’s take a look back at the last year.
It all began on March 12, 2020 when the first communication came from then-Rosemont President Sharon L. Hirsh notifying the Rosemont community that campus would be on lockdown for two weeks in accordance with Governor Wolf’s statewide mandate. All courses quickly shifted to virtual. Students left their dorms. Campus was closed. Two weeks turned to two months, and now, 12 months later, Rosemont has remained a vibrant institution that has kept pace with the quickly changing circumstances. “It was a covid year, but it wasn’t a lost year,” said President Jayson Boyers. Everything changed, but little was eliminated last spring and summer. Commencement was postponed to Spring 2021, and in its place last May was a virtual tribute to the graduates. Reunion became virtual, Accepted Students Days were produced as Zoom events. Dozens
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of alumni and college events were hosted on Zoom and brought members of the College and alumni community together. The Class of 2024 was still welcomed into the Rosemont community in a socially distanced Cap and Gown ceremony. People helped each other. Faith Byrne, Juliann Ewing and other essential workers came to campus throughout the spring to perform functions that could not be completed from home. Dan Mason and Public Safety officers met students at the campus gate to provide laptops to those who did not have technology at home available to complete their coursework. Faculty members helped each other adapt courses for virtual platforms and even found creative ways to do it. The senior art show was transformed into an online format, for example. President Boyers had to navigate the complexities of reopening the College while relocating to the Philadelphia area from
Michigan in the middle of the pandemic. When schools around the country were faced with the uncertainty of reopening in the fall, President Boyers and his Taskforce for Reopening had confidence that if any small college could successfully reopen, it was Rosemont. “We are small and nimble,” said President Boyers. “I’m very grateful for the contributions of each member of the Taskforce, and I am proud that our work together this year has been focused on one goal: delivering a high-quality Rosemont College experience to each student, no matter what the coronavirus may bring our way. Our plan for reopening was carefully designed to safeguard the health and safety of every member of our community.” According to a Chronicle of Higher Education study in October 2020, out of nearly 3,000 colleges, 21% offered a hybrid model for students. Rosemont was
