March 1, 2021
Dear Students:
As we approach the mid-point of the Spring 2021 semester, I am encouraged by the progress we are making to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus on our campus. This progress is the result of the continued commitment of our students, our faculty, and our staff to the health and safety protocols that we have developed. That commitment has enabled us to fulfill our educational mission this academic year, notwithstanding the extraordinary challenges created by the global pandemic.
I am also encouraged by the progress our community and our state are making to overcome these challenges. As more people are able to be vaccinated, the risk of contracting and spreading the coronavirus will continue to decline. I anticipate that, within the next few weeks, we will be able to establish a vaccination site on our campus in collaboration with the Delaware County Health Department. This site will ensure that our students, our faculty, and our staff will have convenient access to a vaccination, when they become eligible under state guidelines.
These trends give us the confidence to develop plans to welcome all of our students back to campus in August 2021. These plans will enable us to deliver the premier on-campus, residential experience that our students seek—and the personal educational and co-curricular experiences that our faculty and staff are proud to provide.
Of course, the on-campus experience next Fall will not be exactly like the experience was in Fall 2019. And we will abide by all of the public health regulations that are in place at that time, including wearing face masks. But I am confident that, in August, we will have many more on-campus courses and many more in-person, co-curricular activities than we have been able to offer this academic year.
Over the next few weeks, we will provide details about the Fall 2021 semester. In the meantime, if you cherish the residential experience as much as I do, please continue to wear a mask, maintain physical distancing, and avoid large social gatherings.
I am grateful to our students for their continued discipline and determination, and I am grateful to our faculty and our staff for their commitment and creativity.
