Rare Book School and COVID-19

June 3, 2020

Although we have been expecting this announcement, it is still with sadness that we confirm that the University of Virginia will be keeping the campus closed through July and that we are likewise cancelling our courses here in Charlottesville. Since our founding in 1983, the only other summer in which RBS didn’t run a single summer course was 1992, the year the School moved from Columbia to UVA. While we will miss seeing students and instructors in person this summer, cancelling is the best way to keep members of the RBS community safe and healthy. We appreciate your patience as you have awaited this decision. We are looking forward to summer 2021, and hope to see many of you participate in our RBS Online events in the meantime.

April 29, 2020

We at Rare Book School are waiting for updated information from the University of Virginia as well as official government and CDC guidelines relating to July before deciding whether our courses in Charlottesville and New York City will be able to proceed. We have, with some heaviness of heart, cancelled the July session for Philadelphia and Cambridge. As always, our top priority is the safety of our students and faculty.

UVA’s administration has stated that they will make an announcement regarding July by June 1st. Since we don’t yet know what July will look like, we are extending the payment deadline to June 5th.

If you have not yet paid your deposit and/or full tuition, you do not need to make that payment until June 5th. If you would like to submit your payment before that date, please feel free to do so. In the event that your course is then cancelled, RBS will refund the full amount. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us at rbsprograms@virginia.edu.

We remain hopeful that we will be able to connect with our students this summer; if not in person, then electronically.

April 8, 2020

We at RBS hope that you and your families are in good health. In light of the current information about the progression of the COVID-19 virus in the United States and the closures at many of our host institutions, we are cancelling all of our June courses, albeit with regret. Additionally, all courses that were to be held in Philadelphia in July have also been cancelled. 

If UVA and/or our partner institutions are able to be open during July, in keeping with the recommendations of public health officials, then we will run our July courses as scheduled. We continue to monitor recommendations from the CDC and state organizations. Our top priority is the well-being of our students, faculty, staff, and the amazing staff at our partner institutions.

Meanwhile, we are exploring options for online educational offerings and will share further information about these exciting opportunities soon! 

If you have questions about the summer, please contact rbsprograms@virginia.edu.

March 4, 2020

We at RBS hope and expect that the School will be open for classes as usual this summer, with courses running in Charlottesville and at our partner institutions as planned. We are, of course, monitoring the news regarding the COVID-19 virus and understand that authorities cannot yet predict how far the disease will spread and to what extent, or for how long, normal activities may be interrupted.

Accordingly, if you are admitted into an RBS course this summer, we do not want you to have to worry about what may or may not happen with COVID-19 insofar as your attendance is concerned. If, after accepting a spot and taking the usual steps to secure your place, you later determine either that you are prevented from attending, or that you do not wish to attend, owing to concerns about the coronavirus, Rare Book School will refund your entire tuition, including the normally nonrefundable deposit.

In light of the uncertainty regarding summer plans and travel restrictions, we are extending the deposit deadline to 4 May. Please note that you will still receive automated reminder emails from the myRBS system prompting you to submit payment. You may disregard these messages.

If you have questions regarding your payment or a possible refund, please contact rbsfinancial@virginia.edu.