NAMPA, Idaho — Northwest Nazarene University in Nampa is announcing changes to the academic calendar ahead of the fall semester.
Under the new "compressed" schedule, NNU students will attend classes in-person from Aug. 31 through Dec. 10.
The changes start the semester one day earlier and end one week earlier in December than the previously announced schedule.
The university says the changes are in response to concerns surrounding the COVID-19 outbreak.
"NNU's 20-21 Planning Team has combed through a significant volume of the most current health information and has carefully considered a variety of alternatives to our academic calendar," NNU President Joel Pearsall said in a statement. "We believe that the modified calendar will contribute to our ability to continue delivering to our students the excellent education and robust community for which NNU is known, while simultaneously prioritizing the health and safety of our students, faculty, staff and host community."
The new calendar will include a phased move-in for students who will live on campus, as well as compressing the fall semester to make sure that students have about the same amount of class time as they would have under the earlier schedule.
Students will also be encouraged to remain on campus over Thanksgiving break to reduce the health risks of travel, NNU says. Any student who chooses to leave the state over Thanksgiving will be required to finish out the semester remotely.
NNU says the university may make further changes to the Fall 2020 plan, based on guidance and recommendations from the CDC and Idaho Gov. Brad Little. Updates will be posted on the university's website here.