During a typical summer, the University of Richmond serves as a home away from home for as many as 450 students. The students live in apartments and residence halls while participating in local internships, conducting research, working on campus, and taking summer classes. Since the onset of COVID-19 in spring 2020, campus life has been anything but typical.

“When the pandemic hit in March, we did our best to de-densify campus as fast as possible,” said Patrick Benner, director of housing and residence life. This summer campus looks a little more normal, due largely to the ongoing, collective commitment to the health and safety of the campus community and changes to the CDC recommendations for fully vaccinated people.

Throughout the summer months this year, roughly 240 students will cycle in and out of on-campus housing, including 20 incoming first-year students taking part in the University of Richmond Integrated Science Experience, or URISE, led by Shannon Jones, director of biological instruction.

The program, launched in 2013, aims to increase the number of students from historically underrepresented backgrounds in science and math disciplines by removing barriers to their success. The students hear presentations from the Academic Skills Center, Career Services, Counseling and Psychological Services, and others and participate in faculty-led workshops designed to give them an idea of what their future classes might be like.

“The idea is that if the students want to major in science at the University, they come and get a head start over the summer — building community with other incoming students, working in labs, and getting comfortable seeing themselves as scientists,” Jones said. “When they come back in August, they aren’t anxious about leaving home. It takes the pressure away.”

And the program is working. According to Jones, most students who complete URISE and continue through the Science Math and Research Training, SMART, persist in a science or math major.

“URISE gave me the opportunity to get to know my professors and classmates on a personal level which allowed the environment during the academic year to be collaborative, successful, and most of all encouraging,” said biology major Emily Brew, who participated in the program in 2018. 

Brew now acts as a mentor to URISE participants while investigating, in Jones’ lab, the effects of indoor air pollution on the immune system. She’s one of nine students working with Jones and one of about 125 living on campus while participating in summer research opportunities across the University.

“I have been working in the lab for Dr. Jones since the summer after my freshman year,” Brew said. “I very much enjoy doing summer research because I can give my full attention to my research without having to worry about classes.”

UR’s student-athletes are also taking full advantage of the summer months on campus — not only to practice for their time on the court or field but also to prepare for the start of classes in the fall.

“Between enrollment in classes, research, and internships, about one third of UR’s student-athletes are doing something academically this summer,” said Bruce Matthews, associate athletics director for academic support and student services.

For many, those academic endeavors include leadership programs and diet and nutrition courses designed to give student-athletes the knowledge needed to make good food choices to gain or maintain weight and sustain their energy throughout a demanding day of practice and classes. Many incoming student-athletes also participate in Bridge to Success, a five-week summer program for first-year students designed to jumpstart the transition from high school to college. Similar to URISE, BTS students live on campus while participating in workshops, field trips, mentoring, and community building.

“The summer is a really important time for our student-athletes,” said Lauren Wicklund, senior associate athletic director for leadership and student-athlete development. “We’re getting them ready for the fall — making sure they maintain their physical fitness and stay on top of their classwork. It’s a rigorous environment. There’s no summer off around here for sure.”