Babson College Moves All Classes Online Due to Coronavirus

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Kait Smith Lanthier

Kait Smith Lanthier is the Director, Content Strategy at Babson College and the Managing Editor of Babson Thought & Action. Her writing has appeared in print and online in a variety of outlets including USA Today, Yahoo Shine, YourTango, CosmoGirl, and First for Women magazine. Smith earned her undergraduate degree in journalism and graduate degree in integrated marketing, both from Marist College.

| March 11, 2020

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As public health experts monitor the global spread of the 2019 Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19), Babson College is actively monitoring the outbreak, too.

In a letter to all students, faculty, staff, and parents, President Stephen Spinelli Jr. MBA’92, PhD. outlined several decisions in the wake of the ongoing spread and impact of COVID-19.

“Though we do not currently have a case of the 2019 Novel Coronavirus on our campuses, we need to do our part to help mitigate the spread and minimize exposure and risk,” he said in the email.

Beginning Friday, March 13, Babson College will transition all classes fully online. Classes will remain online through the end of the Spring semester. Students are required to move out of their residence halls by March 21.

“This decision was not made lightly or without significant thought around the impact to the student experience,” wrote Dean Lawrence P. Ward, Vice President of Student Affairs, in a separate email to students. “We have to take care of each other. We have to be resilient in the face of adversity. We have to maintain perspective and move forward together in our new reality.”

The full community messages, along with additional logistic information, frequently asked questions, resource guides, and additional support can be found at www.babson.edu/coronavirus.

“Our community is global, understanding, and resilient, and I am proud of the way we have come together to address this concerning and evolving situation,” said President Spinelli. “If there is ever a time to practice more love and care for one another, no matter the distance, now is that time.”

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