Northwest Missouri State University announced tonight it is postponing the resumption of in-person classes to protect the health and safety of its students and employees from the spread of COVID-19.
Northwest President Dr. John Jasinski informed the campus community, through an email, that classes at its Maryville and Northwest-Kansas City locations will resume Monday, March 23. Students are on spring break this week, but the campus remains open and operational. University employees should report to work as normal.
“This is truly a unique situation that, as we have seen, is evolving in unpredictable ways,” Jasinski said. “As Bearcats, we will continue to adapt and ask that you continue to demonstrate what it means to be a Bearcat by learning, connecting, caring, practicing civility and showing pride in Northwest.”
Northwest residence halls will open at 1 p.m. Sunday as planned and be operational for students who choose to return to campus. Campus Dining will offer scaled-back services for students living on campus.
The Horace Mann Laboratory School and the Phyllis and Richard Leet Center for Children and Families, located on the Northwest campus, also will open as normal for its students next week.
Additionally, the University has announced its suspension of ticket sales for the NCAA Division II Central Region men’s basketball tournament, which Northwest is scheduled to host March 14-17, after today’s statement issued by NCAA President Mark Emmert in regard to COVID-19.
At this time, there are no confirmed coronavirus cases with impacts on the Northwest campus. The University has activated a webpage with additional information and resources about its response to the coronavirus.
