Study away called back
March 12, 2020 – 6:30 p.m. EDT
FROM: Furman University
A lot has changed in the past 24 hours. The World Health Organization officially declared COVID-19 a pandemic, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention raised the travel health advisory level for 26 European countries to 3 (widespread sustained spread and restrictions on travel to the United States) and President Trump implemented a 30-day ban on travel by non-U.S. citizens from most European countries to the United States.
In light of these and other fast-developing situations, the university has decided to cancel all current international study away programs and ask students who are studying overseas to return to their homes by March 20. We have communicated directly with these students and their families and are working with them on the logistics of their return and on other details of their semester.
As a reminder to all students, spring break has been extended one week, through March 22. Faculty and staff will spend this next week preparing to provide remote instruction, which will begin March 23. Students should not return to campus without permission from Student Life until further notice.
We realize this is not the semester that students and families had planned and that these circumstances are challenging and stressful. The university continues to follow the COVID-19 pandemic closely and an emergency management team is meeting daily to determine how best to meet the needs of our students, faculty and staff.
Please continue to watch your email closely and go to www.furman.edu/covid-19 for updates.