President Clayton Rose sent an email to the campus community on Thursday afternoon announcing that the College expects to welcome all students back to campus in the fall. Rose also outlined plans for commencement and summer on-campus activity.

Regarding commencement, Rose wrote that the current plan to have an in-person ceremony on May 29 excluding family members is unchanged. He also noted that because of the quick turnaround between finals and the ceremony, graduating students will not be receiving diplomas at the commencement ceremony; diplomas will be mailed later in the summer.

This summer, the College plans to see significantly more in-person activity on campus than last summer. There will be on-campus employment and research opportunities as well as housing, with priority for student fellowship and internship recipients, student employees and Geoffrey Canada Scholars. Rose wrote that the College’s ability to host larger events, including the Bowdoin International Music Festival, is still being evaluated.

Though noting that plans are subject to change, Rose wrote that nearly all classes for the fall will likely be taught in person and that orientation activities for the Class of 2025 are set to take place. Additionally, though a final decision will be left to the NESCAC, Rose predicts that a full athletic schedule will resume next fall.

Rose emphasized that even if all members of the Bowdoin community receive the COVID-19 vaccination the College may continue to observe some public health protocols.

“While we expect to relax our distancing and room capacity restrictions, we may still see some version of surveillance testing and the use of face coverings in certain situations. We’ll follow what the science and our public health experts recommend,” Rose wrote.