Planning for the Spring Semester

September 22, 2020

Members of the Rutgers Community,
 
I am writing today to provide you with an update on our planning for the spring and to thank you for the patience, grace, and flexibility you have shown as we have confronted the Coronavirus at Rutgers, in our personal lives, and across the broader community.
 
Rutgers and New Jersey responded quickly and deliberately when the virus first presented in February. The steps that the university and the state took have helped make us a national model for acting responsibly in the face of the pandemic. Your willingness to embrace those steps has undoubtedly helped to “flatten the curve” and save lives.
 
We will build on that success as we aim to safely reinvigorate and repopulate our campuses with increased opportunities for in-person instruction and on-campus housing.
 
Each chancellor is developing tailored campus plans that will combine robust remote instruction with in-person instruction for the spring semester within the limits of responsible social distancing. In parallel, each chancellor will carefully expand on-campus housing opportunities. Instructional and housing decisions will each be informed by and aligned with appropriate testing and safety protocols.
 
The same concern for our students extends to the more than 20,000 faculty and staff who make all things possible at Rutgers. We will provide a work environment that is both safe and healthy. As you know, the University’s COVID-19 telecommuting policy was extended through December 2020. Any necessary changes to that policy will be announced as circumstances warrant.
 
In the coming weeks you will be receiving detailed information from your chancellor regarding the spring plans at your campus. Please know that those plans will need to be flexible and nimble enough to be able to respond to the fluid and uncertain course that the Coronavirus may take.
 
The plans developed for each campus will reflect my commitment that Rutgers can and will set a standard for the way each member of our community is valued, respected, and protected.
 
Sincerely,
 
Jonathan Holloway
President and University Professor