Update from One Merriman Lane | Fall 2020 Academic Calendar Announcement

Dear campus community,

A team of staff, faculty, and administrators have been carefully thinking through how best to preserve the Ripon College residential learning experience for the fall 2020 semester while also prioritizing the health and safety of our community. Based on their recommendation, I am pleased to announce the new academic calendar for the fall.

Students will be allowed to move onto campus in staggered groups between Friday, August 14 and Sunday, August 16.  Students and families should expect further communication in the coming weeks from Mark Nicklaus, Director of Residence Life, as move in details for each student are finalized.

Classes will begin on Monday, August 17. There will be no Fall Break.

The last day of classes for the fall semester will be Tuesday, November 24. Students will move out of the residence halls on Wednesday, November 25, the day before Thanksgiving, for an extended winter break.

View our online academic calendar here.

There will be no separate finals week. Faculty will incorporate exams, projects, and papers into the last days of the semester. The semester will be entirely finished on Wednesday, November 25.  We have modified our fall calendar in this way to preserve a traditional semester experience, limit travel to and from campus during the term, and allow students to finish in advance of any surge in the pandemic that might come with winter.

As of now, the spring 2021 semester will begin as scheduled on Tuesday, January 19, 2021.

While we expect that athletic competition will occur in the fall, we do not yet have complete information on whether or not athletes will be required to move to campus early, as they have done in the past. The athletics department remains in close and frequent communication with the Midwest Conference and will inform student athletes as soon as they have more information.

We will continue to monitor the public health situation as we move toward reopening campus for the fall. The health and safety of our students, staff, and faculty are our priorities, and if we must change this planned calendar to protect our community, we will do so.

We know you have many questions about how campus life and classes will take place in the fall. We are in the process of readying the campus for the residential student experience, and we will inform you of updates as our plans solidify.  Please continue to monitor www.ripon.edu/covid19 for pertinent updates and answers to FAQs.

We look forward to seeing you again in August!

Zach P. Messitte
President