The success of this six-week period paved the way for the fall semester—but that’s not to say the summer session was a pilot program. Leadership carefully crafted a strategy that not only coordinated thousands of students, but also adhered to state and local ordinances at each location. “This was not a dry run; it’s the real thing,” Marshall says of the July 6 reopening.
The undergraduate fall semester began August 31, albeit with stringent restrictions in place. Prior to returning to campus, students, faculty, and staff had to complete coronavirus-specific virtual training, and those returning from current hotspots were required to self-quarantine for 14 days. Around campus, plexiglass barriers were installed in culinary labs and reception areas, while on-campus dining halls have, like restaurants, transitioned to grab-and-go meals.
Like Johnson & Wales, the Culinary Institute of America (CIA) has enacted a multipronged plan—one that would work across its campuses in Hyde Park, New York; St. Helena, California; San Antonio, Texas; and Singapore.
“There are significant logistical details that we have worked out—and continue to work out—in terms of managing campus density through phasing of student arrivals, balancing a combination of online and hands-on instructions, and creating additional protocols and contingency plans,” says provost Mark Erickson at the CIA.