Classes are back in session today at UNC Asheville, just days after they celebrated the virtual Commencement for the Class of 2020 on Sat., Aug. 1 – a historic first for the nearly century-old public liberal arts and sciences university committed to undergraduate education.

In his remarks to the Class of 2020, local leader and honorary degree recipient Lou Bissette said, “This event today is like no other in the history of UNC Asheville – it is unique, and you are unique! You have been tested not only by the academic rigors of this institution but also by the stresses of the COVID-19 pandemic, which have assailed our country and our world! You leave UNC Asheville with the ability to think sharply and deeply, to act confidently and to call upon relationships and skills that will serve you and our entire community in an increasingly complex and demanding world.” Watch the full commencement video here.

Now, the newest class of Bulldogs is making history of their own: As the first to start their classes as a mix of in-person (40%), online (30%) and in hybrid modes (30%).

But one of the coolest aspects of this new-normal approach is that all classes – in-person, online + hybrid – are taught by the same world-class UNC Asheville faculty (not by teaching assistants), including experts like:

Educators committed to closing opportunity gaps in K-12 education and to thoughtful digital technology in higher education
Historians reminding us of our past and leading us to paths for our future
Scientists discovering and researching species close to home and worlds away
Community connectors urging us to complete the Census and advocating for more access to broadband in WNC
Innovators investigating the impacts of climate change and implementing a prison education program
Original minds imagining health justice and committed to fight COVID-19 as a community

Current and potential students can check out the full Fall 2020 course schedule and plan for this semester or Spring 2021, where they can find the class + connection that’s most inspiring to them. More on UNC Asheville’s response to COVID-19 here. Ⓟ