IU releases five scenarios for 2020-21 school year

Indiana University has released five scenarios for what the next academic year could look like. A return to in-person teaching and research in the fall is one of those, but it is highly unlikely.

Instead, a hybrid reopening is the most probable, according to an email IU President Michael McRobbie sent to university faculty, staff and students Thursday. This would likely mean some mix of both virtual and in-person classes. The exact details of how that would work will depend on what information is available as the fall approaches. And it could change quickly.

"At this point, this is the scenario we believe is the most likely, though this could change rapidly with some new positive or negative development," McRobbie said in the email. "The balance between in-person and virtual teaching would emerge from the impact of continuing public health directives."

The other three scenarios are situations McRobbie said university leaders would like to avoid. They include:

• A virtual fall semester with hybrid operations in the spring.
• A worsening COVID-19 situation that requires returning to virtual operations in the spring after hybrid operations in the fall.
• Virtual operations for the whole academic year.

Different scenarios may play out on different IU campuses, depending on the regional impact of the pandemic.