Welcome to the Spring 2021 Semester

February 1, 2021

Dear Spelman Community,

Welcome to Spring 2021!

What a great time to be Black, and a woman, and a woman at Spelman College. Stacey Abrams, C'95, has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize. Rosalind Brewer, C'84, is CEO of Walgreens, and women are assuming leadership worldwide.

Last week, we gave a warm welcome to 180 first-year students, 30 sophomores, 17 juniors and 17 seniors including 14 resident advisers. Our Spelmanites will reside at LLC I and II and McAlpin residence halls this semester and, after a five-day pause and preparation period, are now planning to engage the campus as our cohort of residential students.

For students on campus, look out for an invitation from me to participate in part two of the President’s Reading Circle. Last semester’s PRC participants are welcome to join virtually. We will be reading Isabel Wilkerson’s best-selling book, "Caste." Ms. Wilkerson will be joining us virtually on Monday, April 26, 2021. Details to come.

As our residential students acclimate to being on campus, most of our Spelman scholars are starting the spring 2021 semester at home, learning remotely. We have all learned a great deal about remote teaching and learning and are looking forward to an exciting semester full of rich academic classroom and co-curricular experiences.

If you are on campus, you have been receiving communications about the significant safety precautions Spelman has implemented, that can be seen in this video. These mandatory measures are grounded in the 3Ws - wear your masks, wash your hands and watch your distance – as well as testing, symptom tracking, contract tracing and sanitizing.

Those who are continuing with our remote experience will notice the implementation of several applications that allow for synchronous and asynchronous collaboration, online pedagogy and scheduling virtual office hours. Also, certain classroom spaces have been enhanced for hybrid learning, supporting all students whether they are attending classes in person or remotely.

Should you have questions, please visit our Spring 2021 FAQs page on Spelman.edu first. If you don’t find an answer to your specific question, Student Affairs, academic deans, supervisors and the Office of Human Resources will be able to assist.

Spring is a generative season and the College will use this spring to consider new and exciting ways to engage our Spelman community. You will hear about our plans for Research Day, Founders Day and all of the end-of-year ceremonies that make Spelman special. And, as we move closer to widespread vaccination, we look ahead to the time when we can all reconnect safely in person as a community. Until then, we remain undaunted.

Be well. Be the light. Keep the faith.