Asbury University Finishes In‑Person Fall Semester

November 24, 2020

WILMORE, Ky. – Amidst a global pandemic, Asbury University was able to successfully navigate a healthy fall semester on campus for its students. With over 1200 students on campus attending classes and living in the residence halls for 14 weeks, the university experienced less than 20 cases of COVID-19 in its student population. “We are very grateful for the commitment of the students, faculty and staff to our guidelines, which included mask wearing, physical distance, and good hygiene,” said Asbury University President, Dr. Kevin Brown. “I am proud of how our students adapted to the changes this semester required and I’m looking forward to seeing them back in January for the spring semester,” Brown continued.

The COVID-19 pandemic caused universities across the country to adapt quickly to federal and state mandates, as well as Center for Disease Control guidelines on keeping students healthy. Asbury University students returned to campus this past August to plexiglass barriers, increased hand sanitizer stations, re-designed classrooms and community spaces to allow physical distancing, mask guidelines in public areas and a new campus-wide campaign of #StayHealthyStayHere.

The #StayHealthyStayHere campaign was created from a student desire to come to campus this fall and remain on campus for the entire semester. A healthy student body would help ensure a full semester and #StayHealthyStayHere reinforced guidelines daily so that students could indeed remain on campus.

“This semester was a challenging semester for students, administrators, faculty and staff but we strived to stay on campus during the ongoing pandemic,” said Demarion Johnson, Asbury University Student Congress President. “Our community prioritized the things that really matter to have a successful semester this fall. Although it was different from other semesters, we were able to be on campus and enjoy elements of the Asbury experience that are irreplaceable,” Johnson continued.

Asbury University concluded on-campus classes on Friday, November 20, 2020. Fall semester finals will be conducted online during the first week of December and classes will resume on the Wilmore, Kentucky, campus on January 11, 2021.