Provost Elizabeth Watkins announced Wednesday that winter quarter will signal a full return to in-person classes. Winter quarter begins Jan. 3, 2022.

Watkins said the Faculty Senate will approve 2-3% of winter quarter classes for online instruction, with another 2-3% of classes expected to be approved for instructors living with immunocompromised individuals or with young children who aren’t eligible for a vaccine and can’t attend daycare. Staff members can also request remote work arrangements. 
 
“UC Riverside expects to offer around 95% of our classes in-person in winter quarter,” Watkins wrote.

After the COVID-19 pandemic shuttered the campus in March 2020, UCR successfully reopened this fall, with 80% of courses meeting in-person. In announcing the return, the administration said it would continue watching public health conditions.

The fall announcement followed direction several months earlier by UC President Michael V. Drake to fully reopen for fall 2021. That was followed by a July announcement that proof of vaccination would be required to be on campus in the fall.

The decision for a full winter return is buoyed by wide campus adherence to COVID-19 safety precautions including face coverings when indoors, online wellness checks, and periodic testing. Vaccination rates surpassed the ambitious 90% vaccination goal set by a UC-wide committee. The combined vaccination rate on campus is 94.4%.