September 17, 2020
Iowa State will push back the start of the 2021 spring semester by two weeks and eliminate spring break to help make up for the delay, President Wendy Wintersteen announced in a Sept. 14 campus message.
Rescheduling the first day of the spring classes to Jan. 25 will allow more time to pass after the holiday season, when gatherings with friends and family pose a risk of transmitting coronavirus, senior vice president and provost Jonathan Wickert told the Professional and Scientific Council at its Sept. 10 meeting. It also lowers population density on campus for two months during the seasonal flu season, when the simultaneous spread of influenza and COVID-19 will heighten health concerns.