Financial losses to date, along with estimated expenses for the fall, top $9 million — roughly 6% of the college’s annual budget, Daniels said. 

A few hundred students already returned to campus in late spring and over the summer to complete training that cannot be replicated online, providing a window into potential pitfalls that in-person instruction may pose in the fall.

But Daniels said few, if any, problems were reported. There were no defiant students refusing to wear a mask. Spaced-out furniture reminded everyone to keep their physical distance.

College leaders are still working through barriers associated with online classes, such as limited internet access or difficulty learning online amid all of the other disruptions COVID-19 has caused. 

The average Madison College student is 27 years old, Daniels said. Some have been laid off from their jobs because of the coronavirus. Others are parents waiting to hear how the Madison School District will operate this fall.

The college expects to loan at least 1,000 laptop computers to students in need this fall. It also has WiFi hotspots on hand for those with broadband barriers, a problem in the northern Reedsburg area of the college’s district. Computer labs will be opened up for students who cannot focus at home or need technological assistance.