Higher education notebook

ATU planning on normal 2021-22

Arkansas Tech University President Robin E. Bowen announced Friday that its campuses in Russellville and Ozark intend to resume normal in-person class schedules and activities in time for the beginning of the 2021-22 academic year.

“From the outset of the covid-19 pandemic in Arkansas one year ago, Arkansas Tech University has steadfastly followed and responded to guidance based upon scientific evidence,” Bowen said.

“Recent decreases in the number of covid-19 infections and hospitalizations, the new standards for gatherings announced [last] week by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the proven efficacy and increased availability of covid-19 vaccines have provided our university with sufficient reason to believe that it will be safe and appropriate to resume full normal operations by August.”

The announcement comes nearly a year after the university switched to virtual classes and remote operations. Since then, like other universities, it has gradually returned to normal operations.

Arkansas Tech had limited in-person laboratory instruction in the second summer term of 2020. The 2020-21 academic year has been a mix, with about 25% of courses exclusively online, 25% exclusively in-person and about 50% using both formats.

On April 12, if the number of covid-19 cases remains steady or decreases, the university plans to transition to phase two of its pandemic recovery, increasing the number of people permitted to gather from 30 to 50 people.

Mandatory face coverings and social distancing protocols will remain in place through the end of the spring 2021 semester. Covid-19 policies will be reviewed over the summer, the university said.

Shakespeare fest canceled at UCA

The Arkansas Shakespeare Theatre has canceled its 2021 summer festival, the University of Central Arkansas announced. UCA cited the covid-19 pandemic.

The festival requires months of planning and the need for theatrical artists to assemble, the university said.

“It is with great disappointment that we make this decision, particularly after having to cancel the 2020 season, but the safety of our artists and the audience must always remain our priority,” said Shauna Meador, executive managing producer of the theater and chairwoman of the UCA Department of Film, Theatre, and Creative Writing, in a statement.

Posthumous book by educator debuts

A memoir by Clifton L. Ganus Jr., a former Harding University president and chancellor, has been published.

“I’d Do It All Again” chronicles his work at Harding and his travels to 117 countries.

Ganus climbed the Great Pyramid of Giza, rode the Trans-Siberian Railroad and drove rented cars thousands of miles in unfamiliar territories, gathering political, economic and cultural information. He lectured at universities across the world.

Beyond his academic life, he went on annual fishing trips in Alaska, and he took four journeys down the Mississippi River to New Orleans in a small runabout boat.

In 2016, at the age of 94, Ganus began writing the book at the request of his family and friends. He continued to compile, write, travel and maintain a full schedule until May 2019, when he developed a serious illness. He died Sept. 9, 2019.

The Ganus family will hold a book signing April 17 from 1-3 p.m. in Cone Chapel at Harding.