Lincoln – The University of Nebraska intends to hold in-person classes on all of its campuses this fall while still accounting for possible restrictions, President Ted Carter said last week.

University officials said they wanted to make the announcement early to give students, faculty and staff as much time as possible to plan. But it may still impose some restrictions to keep the coronavirus from spreading.

Those restrictions may include putting fewer students in residence halls, offering more online classes and requiring some staff members to work remotely.

“Candidly, no one expects us to be back to ‘business as usual’ come August,” Carter said. “Our classes will almost certainly look different, our work arrangements will be different, and while I remain optimistic, we can’t predict how and when concerts, collegiate sports or various extracurricular activities will resume.”

The pandemic has forced colleges and universities nationwide to shift to online-only classes. The University of Nebraska decided to offer online classes for the rest of the spring semester. Courses will still be taught online this summer.

Iowa’s three major public universities also are planning to resume in-person classes in the fall, but they are working out the details of what that would look like during the coronavirus pandemic.

Iowa Board of Regents President Mike Richards said that the schools will follow state and federal health guidelines as they develop plans to bring thousands of students back to the University of Iowa, Iowa State University and Northern Iowa University.

Board of Regents spokesman Josh Lehman told the Des Moines Register that specific plans for the fall semester will be shared later.

University of Iowa President Bruce Harreld said the school is taking a cautious approach to planning for the fall.

“The situation is, of course, extremely fluid, and the specific steps we will need to implement have yet to be determined. … And like each of you, UI leadership is trying to figure out exactly when it will be safe and appropriate to return to ‘normal,” he said.

Iowa State President Wendy Wintersteen said in a letter to faculty and staff last week she will continue to prioritize the health of students, faculty and staff as plans are developed.

“Preparing for fall will require new and creative approaches to how we support our mission and campus operations,” she said.