photo by: Mike Yoder/Journal-World File Photo

The University of Kansas campus is pictured Friday, Feb. 6, 2015.

As universities around the country chart a path through an unprecedented global pandemic, the decision whether to hold classes in person or continue with remote learning remains one of the biggest challenges facing higher education leaders.

That decision at the University of Kansas is still under discussion, KU spokesperson Erinn Barcomb-Peterson told the Journal-World on Wednesday.

“Fall semester plans are among the scenarios for campus that university leaders are discussing daily and which will be communicated in the days ahead,” she said in an email.

Beyond the priority of protecting the health of KU’s roughly 32,000 on-campus students and staff members, what campus leaders ultimately decide will affect millions of dollars at the university. The difference between students living on campus and taking classes in person versus completing online classes away from Lawrence affects whether KU can recoup costs for housing, dining, parking and campus event costs that are staples of a university budget.

Regionally, Washburn University, the University of Missouri, the University of Nebraska and the University of Oklahoma have announced intentions to reopen their campuses in the fall for in-person classes. Others, such as the University of Colorado at Boulder, have said they’re planning a hybrid format of in-person and online courses.

Washburn University President Jerry Farley said in a news release announcing the Topeka college’s plans to resume face-to-face classes that extra steps will be taken to ensure appropriate social distancing and more frequent and thorough cleaning of classrooms.

Washburn also said it planned to reopen residence halls but would likely reduce the density of students in each suite or campus apartment.

“We will continue to watch the situation with the pandemic carefully, but our plans are to return to teaching in the classrooms this fall,” Farley said.