Rhode Island College, CCRI and RISD starting spring classes online

Updated at 10:57 a.m.

RHODE ISLAND COLLEGE, pictured, and the Community College of Rhode Island announced that their respective spring semesters will start remotely through early February. / COURTESY RHODE ISLAND COLLEGE
RHODE ISLAND COLLEGE, pictured, and the Community College of Rhode Island announced that their respective spring semesters will start remotely through early February. / COURTESY RHODE ISLAND COLLEGE

PROVIDENCE – In addition to requiring their students and employees to get COVID-19 booster shots before the start of the spring semester, Rhode Island College, the Community College of Rhode Island and Rhode Island School of Design on Wednesday said they will start spring semester classes remotely.

The schools said the temporary shift to online classes is in response to the expected rise in COVID-19 omicron variant cases in Rhode Island this month. There were more than 15,000 new virus cases reported in the state between Dec. 30 and Jan. 4. RISD added it’s going remote to provide students a “safe and manageable” reentry to campus.

Both CCRI’s and RIC’s spring semesters commence on Jan. 18. RIC’s remote classes will run through Feb. 7, while CCRI is not expected to return to in-person classes until Feb. 14. Both institutions say their returns to in-person learning will be based on public health information and consulting with the R.I. Department of Health.

Meanwhile, RISD’s spring classes from Jan. 6 and Jan. 13 will be online, and will resume in-person on Jan. 14. Johnson & Wales University also recently announced that it will hold its first week of spring semester classes online from Jan. 10 through Jan. 18.

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CCRI says it holds vaccine clinics Monday through Friday at its Warwick, Lincoln and Providence campuses from 10 a.m. to 3:45 p.m. RIC will hold a COVID-19 booster clinic Jan. 19 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Both colleges said details on uploading booster shot information will be provided at a later date.

CCRI and RIC join Brown University, Salve Regina University, Providence College, University of Rhode Island, JWU, Roger Williams University, Bryant University, University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, the Rhode Island School of Design and Wheaton College in Norton in requiring booster shots for students and employees.

(UPDATES throughout to ADD RISD.)

James Bessette is the PBN special projects editor, and also covers the nonprofit and education sectors. You may reach him at Bessette@PBN.com. You may also follow him on Twitter at @James_Bessette.

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