Paul Quinn College in Dallas will not be offering in-person classes on campus this fall. The school is moving to an online-only instructional model to limit the spread of COVID-19.
"Our top priority was the safety of our students, our staff and our community," said College President Dr. Michael Sorrell. "We just didn't see a way in which we could preserve their safety and bring everyone back to residential living."
The school acted out of an abundance of caution, Dr. Sorrell said, in order to limit students' possible exposure to the virus. "We don't understand yet the fullness of the ailment," he said. "We don't know how long you're really going to be impacted...or the breadth of illnesses it creates."
Paul Quinn College will provide lap-top computers and Wi-Fi hotspots to students who need them to complete their on-line course work. The school is also eliminating most student fees for the Fall 2020 semester."
We'll keep the health charge because we provide students 24-hour tele-health medical care. We knew our students needed that," said Dr. Sorrell. "We have a technology fee, which obviously we needed to keep. Everything else we stripped away."
College officials have not yet made any decisions about the Spring 2021 semester.