Cornish Campus Reopens this Fall for
In-Person Instruction:

Classes will resume August 31st at the 106-year-old art school

5/27/20—Cornish College of the Arts will reopen its Seattle campuses for in-person instruction this fall. The move happens after Cornish transitioned fully to remote learning in March, in response to the global coronavirus pandemic.

The College will offer in-person courses—with access to studios, labs, rehearsal spaces, and other creative facilities—while prioritizing the health and safety of its students, faculty, and staff. The schedule for the fall semester, which will begin earlier than usual on August 31st, has been modified to allow students to remain home and study remotely following the Thanksgiving break, thus minimizing their risk of contagion during the busy holiday travel season. Housing move-in will begin Aug. 22, and new student orientation will start on August 24th.

“Our decision to reopen with a mixture of in-person and online instruction stems from our most immediate priorities: the health and safety of our community, and the provision of a world-class arts education,” said President Raymond Tymas-Jones. “We are continually monitoring—and closely following—the recommendations of County, State, and Federal health authorities. Our students’ success is our ultimate goal and we aim to foster that success by offering them a safe, dynamic learning environment.”

Cornish faculty and staff are currently designing enhancements for the fall curriculum that will enable the College to continue providing high-quality in-person instruction, while also adhering to important safety protocols. More details about the schedule and courses offered for fall semester will be released soon.

“For Cornish students, person-to-person interaction with their faculty mentors has always been a vital element of their education,” said William Seigh, Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs. “We are committed to maintaining the Cornish experience of small class sizes and mentorship, while also embracing this opportunity to adapt our curricula and expand our methodologies to respond to the question of what arts education will look like in the post-pandemic world.”

The College has implemented robust measures to ensure the health and safety of all members of the campus community. These include: enhanced cleaning of all campus spaces, social distancing and mask requirements, expanded hygiene and sanitation procedures, increased signage and other communications, modified access to shared spaces, limitations on group gatherings, and new housing and food service protocols, among others.

“We will continue to communicate with all of our constituents over the summer,” said Tymas-Jones. “As new information is gained and as new guidelines are introduced by the local and Federal health agencies, we will keep our community regularly apprised.”

Cornish will hold a Virtual Town Hall for current and prospective students and their families on June 25th. For more information about that event, contact communications@cornish.edu.

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