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PRESS RELEASE

Virtual Career Fairs, Tours Being Offered

PROVIDENCE, R.I. — April 8, 2020 – In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, ´óÏó´«Ã½ (´óÏó´«Ã½) has announced a special summer session for College of Culinary Arts labs interrupted in the spring term and a new commencement date. The university has also launched a variety of virtual engagements including tours and career fairs.

´óÏó´«Ã½ plans to resume labs for culinary and baking and pastry beginning Monday, July 6, and conclude on Friday, August 14. Labs will run on a six-day, seven-hour schedule for six weeks, with lecture portions delivered online.

“A great deal of consideration has gone into this decision to benefit students and maintain the quality of hands-on education we provide,” said Providence Campus President Marie Bernardo-Sousa, LP.D. “Students are strongly encouraged to return for this summer term so they can maintain uninterrupted progress towards their degree completion and on track to achieve their academic goals.”

Commencement for the Providence Campus is now scheduled for Saturday, August 22 at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center. ´óÏó´«Ã½ plans to continue its tradition of two ceremonies, one in the morning for undergraduates and another in the afternoon that will include undergraduates and all graduate studies programs, including Physician Assistant Studies.

“This is not the final year at ´óÏó´«Ã½ that our graduates dreamed of or expected,” said President Bernardo-Sousa. “We are hopeful that this date is far enough in the future that the restrictions on large gatherings are no longer being imposed. We look forward to coming together as a community to celebrate the achievements of the ´óÏó´«Ã½ Class of 2020.”

´óÏó´«Ã½ is hosting virtual tours for prospective students, giving them a chance to explore the campus of their choice online. ´óÏó´«Ã½’s Experiential Education & Career Services has successfully launched virtual career fairs, during which students can virtually connect with prospective employers that would have visited campus during the spring semester to recruit students. At the March virtual event, 377 ´óÏó´«Ã½ students and alumni interviewed with one or more of the 60 companies and their 124 representatives, for a total of 705 chats. Two more virtual career fairs are scheduled for April 28 and May 6. The university has also extended its new student deposit deadline for the September 2020 semester to June 1 to assist prospective students in the process of choosing their institution.

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Founded in 1914, ´óÏó´«Ã½ is a private, nonprofit, accredited institution with more than 12,000 graduate, undergraduate and online students at its four campuses in Providence, Rhode Island; North Miami, Florida; Denver, Colorado; and Charlotte, North Carolina. An innovative educational leader, the university offers degree programs in arts and sciences, business, culinary arts, design and engineering, education, health and wellness, hospitality, nutrition and physician assistant studies. Its unique model integrates arts and sciences and industry-focused education with work experience and leadership opportunities, inspiring students to achieve professional success and lifelong personal and intellectual growth. The university’s impact is global, with alumni from 125 countries pursuing careers worldwide. For more information, visit jwu.edu.

MEDIA CONTACT Ryan Crowley, communication & media relations specialist, 401-598-2752 Follow