Behind the
SCENES
T 20
UNIVERSITY of SOUTH FLORIDA
HE SPRING SEMESTER ACROSS USF’S THREE CAMPUSES was filled with the normal activities of university life – lectures and quizzes; faculty holding office hours; students meeting with advisors; faculty and staff meetings; group fitness classes; intramural sports. Except that “normal” took on a whole new meaning. The coronavirus pandemic suddenly sent USF faculty, staff and students into an online world. Teaching and learning and student services went virtual. Most everything did – from doctoral defenses to departmental baby showers, from career fairs to a 5K run (which drew nearly 800 participants). The spring semester ended with a first-ever virtual commencement for nearly 7,500 members of the Class of 2020. As the pandemic spread across the country in early March, an email to faculty from Ralph Wilcox, USF’s provost and executive vice president, set the stage for what was to come.
Photos: iStock | Roman Samokhin; Aerial, Ryan Noone | USF News
By TOM WOOLF
