WKU will cancel spring break, the provost announced in an email Tuesday morning.

Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs Cheryl Stevens said the decision was made following a meeting with The Big Red Restart Academic Affairs and Inquiry Task Force last week.

Both teams agreed that the Spring 2021 semester should occur without spring break to prohibit a flare up of COVID-19 on campus. Classes for the Spring semester will begin the Tuesday after Martin Luther King Jr. Day on January 19, 2021 and will end one week early. Final exams will be April 26 through the 30.

Provost Stevens also announced the plans for the commencement celebration for Fall and Spring graduates in the email. 

The commencement celebration for the Fall 2020 and Spring 2021 graduates will be held during the weekend April 30 and May 1, 2021. Spring 2020 graduates will celebrate May 7 and 8, 2021.

Stevens wrote in the email that student success is key to a WKU experience and has been challenged in the current situation. 

“Human connection is especially important for freshmen and our most vulnerable students,” Stevens wrote. 

The Academic Calendar and FAQ’s will be updated shortly to reflect the changes that have been made, Stevens said.