Pitt plans a return to normal operations at Oakland for fall 2021

In yet another indication of growing optimism surrounding the covid-19 vaccine, officials at the University of Pittsburgh are planning a return to full in-person operations at the university’s Oakland campus as well its campuses in Greensburg, Johnstown, Bradford and Titusville.

Pitt Chancellor Patrick Gallagher on Thursday announced that the school, which has operated on a limited in-person basis since the pandemic shutdown last year, plans to return to normal operations this fall, including reopening university housing at normal capacity and offering a full range of on-campus activities.

The university, which enrolled about 33,750 graduate and undergraduate students across its five campuses including about 28,300 at its main campus, is a major economic driver in the city of Pittsburgh and surrounding region.

Gallagher said officials aren’t discarding any of the public health protocols currently in place, but are cautiously planning a full return to operations this fall. He stressed that those plans are subject to change with any changes in public health concerns.

“Vaccination rates are increasing, and based on projections, we expect that sufficient numbers of people will be vaccinated by the end of the summer to significantly reduce the transmission of this virus,” Gallagher wrote in a letter to the university community. “Therefore, we are basing our planning for the fall on the expectation that we will be approaching pre-covid-19 conditions.”

Pitt joins a growing number of local colleges and universities that have projected a return to normal operations for the fall 2021 semester.

Penn State, the state’s largest university, led the way with an announcement last month that it plans to return to normal operations this summer, with a full return to campus in the fall.

In recent weeks, Robert Morris, La Roche, California, Clarion, Edinboro, Indiana and Slippery Rock all announced similar plans.

While many colleges and universities were concerned that the pandemic might trigger a downturn in enrollment, officials at Pitt are optimistic that new students will arrive in force this fall.

David Seldin, Pitt’s assistant vice chancellor for communications, said freshman applications have been arriving in record numbers, despite the pandemic and a general decline in the number of new high school graduates in the immediate area surrounding the city.

With a return to normal operations this fall, Seldin said Pitt plans to return to normal housing levels in freshman dormitories. In an effort to limit the spread of the virus and provide less dense housing options for incoming students, Pitt leased rooms in surrounding hotels to house some of its first-year students.