Pikes Peak Community College Plans For In-Person Return To Campus This Fall

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Pikes Peak Community College plans to resume in-person classes in a little less than two months for the fall semester.

The college will continue to offer online opportunities and pilot hybrid in-person and digital classes.

President Lance Bolton said they are doing their best to adapt to make sure students still have options.

"For a community college, shutdown means students might not complete their educational journey and may never come back," said Bolton. "And if people get derailed permanently, that is detrimental to them, as well as our community."

He said the college has seen more students sign-up for online classes this summer, and anticipates this trend will continue in the fall.

Everyone on campus will be required to wear a mask, plus classrooms will be set up so students stay 6 feet apart.

Bolton also says the pandemic has changed the way he's thinking about the college's next steps.

"We've demonstrated a lot of flexibility and ability to adapt, and I think that there will be permanent shifts to how students interact with us and how our workforce is arranged," said Bolton.

He said two examples of future changes could be the possibility of expanding online learning for students and work-from-home opportunities for staff.

Pikes Peak Community College's fall semester starts August 24.