November 24, 2020
La Roche Announces Modified Spring Semester, New Transfer Scholarship
PITTSBURGH, Nov. 24, 2020 – After safely reopening campus in the fall, La Roche University will begin the 2021 semester on Jan. 25.
“La Roche concluded the fall 2020 semester with an extraordinary low rate of COVID-19 infection on campus,” Provost and Senior Vice President Howard Ishiyama, Ph.D., said. “I believe in our community’s ability and resolve to keep students, staff and faculty as safe as possible. Collectively we have done a very good job with this thus far, which leads us to believe that we can reopen in the spring under similar campus rules, residence hall conditions and class structures.”
The University will follow the same health and safety protocols implemented in the fall. Guided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Pennsylvania Department of Health and the Allegheny County Health Department, La Roche will continue to practice social distancing, require face coverings, and conduct daily, mandatory health screenings.
The University also will continue operating with reduced capacity in its classrooms and residence halls. In addition to its normal small, immersive, in-class experiences, the University added more online courses and a new collaborative, Hi-Flex classroom model in which students are only required to be in the physical classroom every other session.
Modifications to the spring semester include extending winter break, eliminating spring break and shortening Easter break. The changes are meant to minimize travel to and from campus, and to allow for any pre-return self-quarantining that may be necessary.
The University will continue offering in-person visits. Students and their families also are welcome to tour campus on their own by scanning QR codes displayed on campus grounds.
The Office of Admissions also will offer a one-time award of $1,500 to full-time students who transfer to La Roche this spring. The award will be offered in addition to La Roche’s merit transfer scholarships and other financial aid.
Hope Schiffgens, executive director of enrollment, said, “La Roche is committed to supporting students who are experiencing financial and personal burdens as a result of the pandemic. We also are here to help students who face difficult decisions due to their school merging or closing majors. We want all transfer students to know that their educational goals are still within reach at La Roche.”
La Roche accepts up to 90 transfer credits from both four-year and community colleges. The University has transfer articulation agreements with the following community colleges: Allegheny County, Beaver County, Butler County, Bucks County, Harrisburg Area, Penn Highlands, Philadelphia and Westmoreland County.
Transfer students may apply online at laroche.edu/transfer.
About La Roche University: A private liberal arts university in the North Hills of Pittsburgh, La Roche University offers 66 undergraduate programs of study, six master’s degrees and one doctoral degree, with particular strengths in education, business, criminal justice, psychology, and health and medical sciences as well as interior design and graphic design. This residential university provides a vibrant campus community for nearly 1,300 men and women enjoying 30-plus student organizations and an exciting NCAA Div. III athletics program. Founded by the Sisters of Divine Providence in 1963, La Roche University embraces its Catholic heritage while welcoming people of all faiths and backgrounds. With a legacy of social justice and a commitment to international exchange, La Roche University educates students to be lifelong learners and achievers in an increasingly diverse and global society.
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