Page 23 - BusinessWest Sept. 29, 2021

Education
Matthew Scott says the double protection of vaccines and masks are a good start to keeping AIC’s campus safe.
Continuing Education
Colleges Welcome Students Back with an Abundance of Caution
After a year when colleges offered a wide variety of learning options during the pandemic, from in-person to remote to a blend of both, the vast majority have opened their classrooms, residence halls, and athletic fields for a true on-campus experience this fall. But they’re doing so with caution, both internally — in the form of vaccine requirements — and backed by municipalities that are issuing broad mask mandates. The bottom line through all the changes? The idea that young people need the full college experience, and no one wants to risk a disheartening retreat to Zoom.
By Joseph Bednar
E
veryone is tired of pivoting, Matthew Scott said. But, by now, they’re good at it, too.
“We’ve learned that our students are adapt- able. They don’t always want to be, but they’ll go
with the flow and make it happen. And our staff members have just rolled up their sleeves and said, ‘what needs to be done?’”
As vice president for Student Affairs and dean of stu- dents at American International College (AIC) in Spring- field, Scott is just one of countless higher-education administrators who have spent the past 18 months adapt- ing to one unexpected development after another when it
EDUCATION
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