NSHE Marks One-Year COVID Anniversary, Institutions Planning for More Fall 2021 In-Person Instruction
To the Nevada System of Higher Education Community:
Today, March 17, 2021, marks one year since NSHE announced our public higher education
system would instantly pivot from the normalcy of in-person instruction to online learning as the
COVID-19 pandemic washed over the world. Today is a solemn time as we remember those
we’ve lost and the many challenges we have faced, but it is also a time for hope.
A year later, current data suggests that we are much closer to the end of the pandemic than the
beginning. Based on these improvements, and on the recommendations of the NSHE COVID-19
Taskforce, Nevada’s eight public higher education institutions are planning for a return to more
in-person instruction in fall 2021 than we have offered in the past year.
While our institutions are planning for a greater share of in-person instruction, they will be
prepared to pivot to distance instruction if the science and data regarding the pandemic requires
it. Our first consideration has been and must remain the health and safety of our students,
faculty, staff, and our entire public higher education community.
We must also recognize that our institutions will not have a one-size-fits-all approach to
reopening. Each institution’s president is empowered by the respective data of their county and
community to address the varying aspects of returning to in-person instruction. For instance,
what might be appropriate for Great Basin College in Elko, might not fit the needs of Nevada
State College in Henderson, and so on.
Meanwhile, we cannot turn our back on this virus. We must remain vigilant and follow all health
and safety directives and protocols, including wearing masks. Vaccine distribution is continuing
to move forward in accordance with the direction of the Office of the Governor and the Nevada
Division of Public and Behavioral Health, but we must continue to protect one another at this
critical moment.
Today, I am pleased to say we are moving ever closer to a return to normal and I look forward to
a time, hopefully soon, when NSHE can provide more in-person opportunities while observing
all public health and safety protocols.
Sincerely,
Melody Rose, Ph.D., Chancellor
Nevada System of Higher Education
