2020-21 Next Fall Plans

Dear students, faculty, and staff,

We are writing with more news about the 2020-21 academic year. Following our email last week that outlined Juilliard’s guiding principles, and after receiving thoughtful feedback from many of you, we are pleased to announce further information on our plans for next fall.

The number of new COVID-19 cases in New York City has continued to drop, and the city is entering Phase 2 of the state government’s reopening plans. While we cannot predict what will happen over the next few months, we are encouraged that each day there are further advances in testing, contact tracing, vaccine development, and treatment of the virus. As such, we are putting plans in place to allow for a phased-in return to on-campus work, instituting protective protocols and practices, and providing additional opportunities for students in both the online and in-person environments.

As we shared last week, our goal over the course of the extended school year is to offer a rich Juilliard curriculum of performances, academic courses, skills-based courses, and group/studio work through a mix of both online and in-person learning. Determining which activities should occur on campus, and under what social distancing guidelines, will be driven by governmental and public health expert guidance tailored to Juilliard’s unique environment.

To share the plan with you, we have created a webpage on Juilliard.edu. We encourage you to read through this page carefully. It contains information about the academic calendar, our current thinking and timeline about returning to campus including a three-part block schedule for the fall semester, residence hall information, safety information, division/department specific updates, and more.

While the plans we’re announcing today are a broad outline of how we hope our academic year will look, there is much work to be done in the coming months to put this plan into action. We also acknowledge that conditions may require us to continue to adjust in order to do what is best for the safety and well-being of the Juilliard community. We will continue to update you through email and on the website as additional information becomes available.

Today’s announcement is the result of many weeks of hard work by so many in our community, as well as thoughtful feedback from many of you. We extend our sincere thanks to everyone who has contributed to the planning effort so far. As we forge ahead, we look forward to continuing to work with students, faculty, and staff to prepare for an inspiring year ahead.

Sincerely,

Adam Meyer
Provost Designate

Ara Guzelimian
Provost and Dean