President's Monthly Update: Returning to Campus This Fall, and Vaccine's Critical Role

January 2021
 
Members of the Rutgers Community:
 
As we begin the spring semester amid a continuing pandemic that has necessitated remote instruction for the vast majority of courses, we are eager to look ahead toward Fall 2021, when Rutgers intends to welcome everyone back to have an in-person experience on our campuses. 
 
The promise of widespread inoculation against the virus allows us to plan for a fall semester that looks far different from the current semester—a fall in which all students will have the opportunity for face-to-face instruction in some format, departments will return to campus on staggered and rotational schedules that could include some telecommuting, residence halls will increase their occupancy, and on-campus activities will resume while following all applicable CDC and state public health guidelines.
 
As Executive Vice President Antonio Calcado has put it, we intend to be back 100 percent—just not all at the same time.  We will plan for repopulating our campuses in a fair and equitable manner, and we will always be sure that Rutgers is in step with state and federal guidelines to ensure the health and safety of our students, faculty, and staff.  You will be hearing more about these plans from our chancellors and provosts in the coming days and weeks.
 
Central to these expectations is the progress we can make in vaccination against COVID-19. As you know, two COVID-19 vaccines have already received FDA emergency approval and a third vaccine is expected to be submitted for such approval soon; I’m proud that Rutgers has run clinical trials for two of these.
 
The state government is charged with vaccine rollout in New Jersey, including decisions about which populations are eligible within each phase and sites that are allowed to administer the vaccines as supplies increase in the coming months. Rutgers has prepared and applied to run multiple distribution sites for vaccinations.  We are hopeful the State will grant us this authority shortly and make the needed vaccine available to us soon thereafter.  That will provide us then the ability to administer vaccinations to our own students, faculty, and staff.
 
In the meantime, I strongly recommend that every member of the Rutgers community who has not already received a vaccination please sign up through the state registry.  If you do so, you will be prepared to receive the vaccine once it is made available to you. 
 
Executive Vice President Calcado, RBHS Senior Vice Chancellor Vicente Gracias, and Rutgers University–Newark Executive Vice Chancellor Sherri-Ann Butterfield have produced a video with good information on both vaccines and repopulation of our campuses, available here.
 
I also recommend you follow the bi-weekly online briefings on COVID-19 by RBHS Chancellor and Executive Vice President for Health Affairs Brian Strom and the pandemic podcasts hosted by RBHS Executive Director for Health Systems and Population Health Integration Mary O’Dowd during the alternate weeks. And our vaccine FAQs page is regularly updated with the latest information.
 
Let me remind you that although fighting the virus has necessarily demanded our attention, we are also moving forward on important work I outlined in my address to the University Senate last fall to achieve the ideal of a beloved community, to pursue academic excellence, and to gain greater clarity in our mission. Most immediately, this month we will launch the diversity strategic planning process and host a symposium on ‘Building an Inclusive Academy’ to develop a shared understanding of the work ahead. Look for more information on these efforts, led by Senior Vice President for Equity Anna Branch, and please contribute your ideas to shaping our path forward.
 
Finally, a personal note of thanks to all those in the Rutgers community who offered words of kindness and support after I contracted COVID earlier this month. Your thoughtfulness has meant a lot to me as I have been recovering.
 
Sincerely,
 
Jonathan Holloway
President and University Professor