A-B Tech Plans Return to Normal Operations for Fall 2021 Semester After Historic Year
When Dr. John Gossett took the helm as A-B Tech’s seventh president in July 2020, he was one of very few people working on campus during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Since March 2020, the college’s faculty and staff had been working remotely and teaching most classes online.
Nearly a year later, Gossett was delighted to announce recently that A-B Tech would lift its mask mandate on June 1 and return to normal operations for the Fall Semester, which begins August 23.
“We continue to follow guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the state of North Carolina, and Buncombe and Madison counties, which have all recommended lifting mask mandates for vaccinated individuals,” Gossett said.
Gossett said regular surveys of A-B Tech’s employees and students helped inform the college’s decisions.
“We know our students are ready to return to campus and in-person instruction,” he said. “The conservative, cautious approach we took this year paid off and we are hopeful that most people are now vaccinated. We’ll continue to put the safety of students and employees first, but it’s time for us to return to campus.”
During the 2020-21 academic year, A-B Tech enforced strict Covid-19 protocols for in-person classes, including requirements for masks, symptom checks, and six-feet of distance indoors and on campuses. The return to normal operations includes academic, workforce training, continuing education, and Small Business Center classes.
Students and employees who are on campus for the Summer Semester may remove their masks if vaccinated, but anyone who is unvaccinated is encouraged to continue wearing masks. Social distancing requirements remain in place for in-person summer classes.
Gossett said A-B Tech also will continue the deep cleaning and disinfection protocols put in place during the pandemic, evaluate where social distancing requirements may still be needed, and continue monitoring Covid-19 symptoms, exposures, and cases.
“We also strongly encourage everyone to get vaccinated,” he said. “And it’s okay for anyone to continue wearing a mask. We want our students and employees to feel safe under any circumstances.”
Citing a positive outcome of the pandemic, Gossett said A-B Tech will offer more online and hybrid options this year for people who may want to continue online learning. Last spring, the college converted most of its academic classes to online instruction, trained all faculty in best practices for online instruction, and offered more than 75% of classes online during the 2020-21 academic year. Approximately 25% of academic courses and most continuing education and workforce training classes had to be taught in person to accommodate clinical, hands-on, and laboratory training requirements.
Registration for A-B Tech’s Fall Semester, which begins August 23, 2021 is now open. Continuing education and workforce training classes are always available. For more information, visit abtech.edu or call (828) 398-7900.
