Blackhawk Technical College announced today that it is moving to Stage 5 of its 7-stage reopening plan. Effective Monday, June 22 Blackhawk will be reopening its campuses to students and employees. Facemasks will continue to be required inside all college buildings; including in all classrooms and labs. Entrance to college buildings will no longer require health screenings.
“We are confident in our safety protocols and excited to welcome more students and employees back to our campuses as we move to the next stage in our reopening plan,” said Dr. Tracy Pierner, President of Blackhawk Technical College. “We are in the workforce development business. To that end, we must be responsive to the needs of our community and available for students who want to continue their training and education.”
Understanding students have diverse needs, Blackhawk offers a variety of flexible learning options. While in-person and online courses continue to be popular offerings, the college also delivers courses as MyEdChoice. This delivery method does not lock a student into a particular format. Rather, students can choose to either attend online, in-person at a set time, or via video conferencing. Students can mix and match how they attend class and pick the option that is best for them.
“MyEdChoice is like online, only better. With the uncertainty around the public health crisis, students can choose to be safer-at-home or they are welcome to come to campus. It gives students more control of their education and schedule,” continued Pierner.
Flexible education is at the center of Blackhawk’s mission: building futures with flexible education in a supportive environment. The reopening will allow the college to continue to meet the demands of delivering innovative education to fuel the region’s talent pipeline.
The college has been closed to the public since March 18 and the majority of spring semester instruction was offered online. College leadership continues to closely monitor local, state, and federal recommendations to ensure the safety of its students and employees. The safety and well-being of students and employees remain a top priority for Blackhawk leadership. The reopening plan allows the college to slowly and safely resume operations. For more information on the 7-stages or the college’s response to COVID-19 visit www.Blackhawk.edu/coronavirus.
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About Stage 5 (June 22)
- All campuses are open for students who have scheduled classes (face-to-face/hands-on), student support needs, or employees.
- No active screening protocols; all employees and students are requested to perform symptom checks
- All employees and students required to practice physical distancing, wear facemasks inside buildings and sanitize workspaces before/after use.
- Staff will return to campus with a staggered work schedule, in some cases, to ensure safety and physical distancing in workspaces. Departments and offices will operate under a combination of remote staffing and/or on-campus if staggered work schedules are required to ensure physical distancing guidelines.
- All classes will follow social distancing guidelines and everyone will wear appropriate PPE. The number of individuals in a classroom is based on the size and capacity of the designated room.
- College services will continue to be provided online, and limited services will open on campus.
- Student Support Services and IT Helpdesk (Central Campus) will be available in-person with social distancing protocols.
- Shuttle service can resume with a limited number of riders to adhere to social distancing.
- Bookstore services resume.
- Foodservice and vending machine services resume.
- Student Success Center reopens with limited seating for computer and WiFi access.
- Student Union can reopen.
- Advanced cleaning and sanitization procedures will continue to be followed.
- Events and activities with up to 25 can meet in-person (with prior approval from campus safety) in a space that will allow for physical distancing; appropriate PPE must be worn.
- Events and activities with 25 or more people are either canceled or moved to a virtual format.
- Indoor facilities are unavailable for use by outside groups.