CCAC to return to campus as colleges weigh vaccine requirements
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After a year of relying on remote instruction for most classes, the Community College of Allegheny County is preparing to resume normal operations beginning this summer and into the fall semester.
Officials said the college, with multiple campuses and centers scattered across Allegheny County, will continue to offer online options for students who prefer those.
CCAC is following the lead of a number of four-year colleges and universities that say students will be welcomed back to campus and resume normal operations this fall, provided public health metrics indicate it is safe to do so.
The announcement Monday at CCAC came as covid-19 rates continued to spike across the region, as vaccine efforts ramp up.
State and federal officials say covid-19 vaccines should be available to the general public later this spring. Inside Higher Ed, a trade publication that follows issues in colleges and universities across the nation, reported last week that Rutgers University in New Jersey will require students returning in the fall to be vaccinated. Several other universities have said they are considering similar measures.
Locally, the University of Pittsburgh is urging students to seek vaccinations as soon as they are available and said it is planning to hold vaccine clinics on campus this fall. CCAC likewise is urging members of its campus community to be vaccinated. Netiher institution however, has issued any vaccine mandates.
Although it will dramatically expand in-person instruction options, officials at CCAC said the school will continue to follow all public health guidelines issued by the Centers for Disease Control and the Allegheny County Health Department. The school also will continue to observe mask, hand-washing and physical distancing protocols on campus grounds.
Registration is open for all four summer 2021 sessions, which begin May 24 (six and 10 weeks), June 7 (eight weeks) and July 6 (six weeks). Fall 2021 registration opened March 26, with classes beginning Aug. 23 (15 and 16 weeks) and Sept. 7 (13 and 14 weeks).
For more information, visit ccac.edu or contact admissions@ccac.edu.