A new semester has begun at Allen Community College. Students returned from the winter break to on-campus classes at Allen on January 18^th to begin the Spring semester, despite continued issues with Covid-19 outbreaks and new variants. A sense of normalcy seems to have returned to the halls at Allen, even though there are continued health and safety policies and new changes to leadership on the horizon at Allen.

As new variants emerge, such as the Omicron Variant, Allen continues to employ student and employee safety standards. These standards are derived from the college’s continued observation of state and county health recommendations, which include the continued use of masks in all buildings except residence hall rooms, offices where occupants are alone, and the Activities Building when involved in athletic practice or training. Furthermore, while not mandated, Allen continues to encourage students and employees to be vaccinated for Covid-19. Non-vaccinated students and employees are also encouraged to take their temperature before coming to campus.

Despite the continued health threat of Covid-19, upcoming changes for Allen are on the horizon. Over the winter break, Allen’s Board of Trustees gathered together to vote on a new president to replace the current Allen president, John Masterson, who is retiring this summer after serving as president for 30 years. The board chose to replace Masterson with the candidate Dr. Bruce Moses, who will begin his service on July 1, 2022. The motion to approve the hiring of Dr. Bruce Moses was met with a unanimous vote. Dr. Moses comes to Allen from his previous position as Vice Chancellor of Educational Services and Institutional Integrity at Pima County Community College in Tucson, Arizona.

A return to normalcy is a concept that the atmosphere at Allen seems to be embracing, that is whatever normalcy means in a state of global pandemic. Regardless, spirits are high at Allen during this new Spring semester, reflecting the long kept understanding of Spring as a season of renewal and rebirth.