College planning to welcome students for Michaelmas

Large lectures will be held online in 2020-2021 so that other face-to-face teaching can proceed safely.

spring day Katy sundial garden

Professor Graham Virgo, Senior Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Education) released a statement yesterday to clarify misleading media reports about the University's plans to deliver large lectures online in 2020-2021. In his statement he says,

"The University and the Colleges will welcome as many students as possible to Cambridge for the start of the next academic year, guided always by advice from Public Health England. We are committed to continuing to deliver high quality education to all our students and to delivering a rich student experience, while ensuring that we respond effectively to the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

There remains a great deal of uncertainty about the likely course of the pandemic and its impact on universities. I regret that partial reporting of only one aspect of our plans may have compounded this uncertainty. We will keep our plans under regular review. Our objective is to restore the full teaching programme as soon as possible.

If we are able to do this sooner than currently anticipated, we will."

The President of Wolfson College, Professor Jane Clarke said “As we all know, a Cambridge education is much more than attending these large lectures; there are supervisions, seminars, study groups; there is research, carried out alone and in teams; and there is the intellectual, cultural, social and sporting life, much of which takes place in colleges.”

Bursar Jo Cheffins added “We are working very hard to plan how we can welcome back as many of our students as we can. We will keep all members of Wolfson posted as those plans develop and as we hear more about the numbers of students we can expect back in College. We intend to make their experience as good as it can be.”

The Senior Tutor and Admissions Tutor have written to all offer-holders to reassure them that the College is actively planning for the return of students next year, as long as it is safe to do so. Dr Susan Larsen, Senior Tutor, says, "We are all working hard to ensure that our students benefit from the highest quality education and the most vibrant college experience that Cambridge can offer. 

Eager as we all are to return to our pre-pandemic 'normal', we must build stringent social distancing into our plans. The College's core objective, however, remains unchanged: to offer every member of our international community of scholars the opportunity to fulfil their potential and transform society for the good of all. I am confident that together we will pursue that goal in ever more dynamic and creative ways, whether online, in the gardens or in supervisions and seminars."

Undergraduate Admissions Tutor Dr Lesley MacVinish says, “Our offer-holders have worked very hard to get their Cambridge offer and the Admissions Team are excited, as we are every year, to welcome them to Wolfson where their courses will be supported by our dedicated staff for the duration of their degrees.”

Any current students who have questions about plans for next year are encouraged to contact their Tutors. Offer-holders should contact the Tutorial Office.

 

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