BATTLE CREEK, Mich. — Kellogg Community College will move most of its face-to-face classes to an online-only format because of an increase in COVID-19 cases in the area.
Campus buildings will remain open for students and employees in Albion, Battle Creek, Coldwater and Hastings, a news release said Monday.
Most classes had already been online from the start of the semester, which ends Dec. 18.
Classes with components that can’t be delivered online will continue to meet face-to-face with safety measures in place.
That includes some classes in industrial trades, health sciences and criminal justice.
“We started our semester with most classes online and have informed our students and faculty that there may come a point when we need to move to an online-primary model,” said Paul Watson, vice president for instruction. “Fortunately, we have prepared for this modality change and we expect our Bruins will be able to make the transition quickly and relatively painlessly.”
Instructors will directly inform their students of class-specific changes starting Tuesday.
Students who have questions about the status of a specific class should first reach out to their instructor, the college said.
Coronavirus case counts have been rising in Barry, Branch and Calhoun counties, as well as on the college’s campuses.
As of Sept. 29, there had been a total of five students and employees who were present on a KCC campus while positive and another 13 who were self-reported or confirmed positive but not on campus.
As of Oct. 1, the seven-day positive test rates had risen to 6.1 percent in Calhoun County, 4.2 percent in Branch County and 3.2 percent in Barry County, according to state data.