President David Spittal, EdD, announced that MidAmerica Nazarene University is planning for an open campus this fall and will offer all of its face-to-face classes and campus services for the 2021-22 academic year as well as its online programs.

“We are thrilled with the outcome of the 2020-21 academic year,” Spittal said. “To have maintained in-person classes and most campus services, including housing and many student activities, during the pandemic, was a tremendous boost to this university community. Our three Commencement ceremonies last weekend were celebrations first and foremost of the students’ achievements, but also, of the whole community’s achievement.”

In addition to these results, MNU experienced an increase in enrollment during COVID with 17% more students in fall 2020 than the year before.

“Our faculty and staff decided not to let the pandemic stop them,” Spittal said. “Though much of the work and planning last summer was virtual, they never stopped helping students enroll and persevere. I could not be prouder of them or the students who stepped out in faith and enrolled when things seemed uncertain.”

In addition to employing health and safety protocol as recommended by the CDC and Johnson County, MNU faculty and staff implemented a plan called Pioneering Forward that covered everything from academic departments moving courses online to creating a position for a COVID coordinator to help students and staff navigate symptom checks, testing, quarantine/isolation and more. The university’s Emergency Response Team, led by Jon Spence, associate vice president of facilities services, met regularly to oversee protocol and planning for COVID-19 response.