Dear Members of the Monmouth University Community:

As the Bridgewater College community mourns yesterday’s devastating loss of two campus law enforcement officers, I am reminded of the important work of our own Monmouth University Police Department (MUPD). Each day, our MUPD officers risk their personal safety to provide protection to all of us in the Monmouth community, and I am grateful for their selfless service to our University.

Please join me in supporting our police department personnel during this difficult moment for the campus law enforcement community. Today and every day, we salute the MUPD for their steadfast dedication to ensuring the safety and welfare of our University.

Sincerely,

Pat

Dear Members of the Monmouth University Community:

I am pleased to announce that Monmouth University has accepted an invitation to join the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) in fall 2022. This move follows a series of thoughtful discussions with the CAA Commissioner and Presidents and has the unanimous and enthusiastic support of the Monmouth University Board of Trustees.

The CAA is comprised of some of the finest academic institutions in our region and across the nation, and Monmouth will benefit greatly from these academic associations. This move will afford Monmouth new academic collaboration opportunities as part of the Colonial Academic Alliance, and will help to enhance the great work that we do in our classrooms, labs, and learning spaces. We are thrilled to expand our association with institutions that share a demonstrated commitment both to academic integrity and to athletic excellence.

Having our teams compete in major media markets from New England to Baltimore, and from Long Island to Charleston, will also help to expand our recruiting footprint. This increased exposure at the regional and national levels speaks directly to one of the core objectives of our Strategic Plan, and will be a valuable asset as we continue to address the increasingly competitive enrollment landscape. 

Finally, our move to the CAA will afford our student athletes the opportunity to compete at a higher level against some of the strongest mid-major programs in the country. For fans, supporters, and alumni, the CAA will create new regional rivalries and excitement as we look forward to many more championship seasons ahead.

I hope this latest milestone in the evolution of our athletics program will energize the entire University community and serve as a tremendous point of pride for all of us connected to Monmouth. To that end, I invite you to join me tomorrow, Wednesday, January 26 at noon, on the first floor of the OceanFirst Bank Center for an event to formally announce our membership in the CAA. If you cannot attend, this announcement will also be livestreamed on ESPN+.

This is an exciting move for Monmouth University. Thank you all for being a part of it.

Sincerely,

Dr. Patrick F. Leahy

President

Dear Members of the Monmouth University Community:

I hope your first days of the spring semester are off to a great start.

As follow up to my January 7 email, I am writing to advise you that classes will resume in-person instruction on Tuesday, January 25. Classes on Monday, January 24 will continue to operate under our one-week emergency remote learning status.

If you have any questions on our plans for the spring semester, please direct them to Spring2022@monmouth.edu. As a reminder, you may continue to access the most current and comprehensive campus information, including daily dashboard data, by visiting our COVID-19 website.

Thank you for your continued efforts to keep our University community healthy. I look forward to seeing you on campus next week!

Sincerely,

Dr. Patrick F. Leahy

President

Dear Members of the Monmouth University Community:

Today we pause to honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and his shining example of social activism. Dr. King’s commitment to social justice and racial equality should inspire all of us at Monmouth to consider the weight of our words and the impact of our actions as we pursue a more equitable and more inclusive community.

To this end, I hope you will join the university community on Wednesday, January 26 to celebrate Dr. King’s legacy at the 2022 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Distinguished Lecture in Social Justice, featuring Black feminist scholar, author, and poet, Dr. Alexis Pauline Gumbs.

We must continue to commit ourselves to carrying out Dr. King’s dream of building a country and a community free from bias, bigotry, racism, and hate. Thanks to ongoing efforts on our campus to foster a truly inclusive community – a community grounded in learning, service, and distinction – I am hopeful for the semester ahead.

Enjoy the holiday!

Dr. Patrick F. Leahy

President

Dear Colleagues:

I hope your first weeks of 2022 are off to a healthy start. As promised in my email on January 7, I am writing with additional details on our updated plans for the spring semester.

As students and faculty prepare to return to campus, we continue to manage the COVID-19 pandemic. Our high vaccination rates, coupled with our indoor masking, surveillance testing, and social distance requirements, have enabled our community to arrive safely at this point in the academic year. Our goal through these updated plans is to limit the spread of the virus early in the semester in order to preserve an in-person experience throughout the remainder of the academic year.

The senior leadership team and I have been following closely the rapidly changing COVID-19 situation, including frequent conversations with the Monmouth County Regional Health Commission. In consultation with our faculty, staff, and student leadership groups, we feel confident that we have developed reasonable plans, as noted in further detail below, to ensure a safe start to the spring semester and to protect the overall health of the University community.

Instruction

Remote Learning Status: For an emergency period of Tuesday, January 18 through Monday, January 24, all classes will migrate to an online format. Public health officials have indicated that the Omicron variant will likely peak sometime in mid-January, followed by a decline in positive cases and transmission rate. By shifting to emergency remote learning for this discrete period, we hope to mitigate the risk of exposure among our community. It is our intent to return to in-person instruction on Tuesday, January 25, subject to a variety of circumstances.

Vaccination

Boosters: Because of waning immunity considerations for individuals who were fully vaccinated more than five months ago with the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine, or more than two months ago with the J&J vaccine, the University is requiring every member of the Monmouth community (i.e., students, faculty, staff) to get the appropriate booster dose for their initial vaccination series.

To help make the vaccine and booster readily available to our community, we will be hosting our next on-campus clinic on Thursday, January 27, and the Monmouth County Health Department will be offering walk-in clinics throughout the county during the month of January.

All employees must provide up-to-date information on their vaccination status (with available booster) through the Employee Health Portal by March 1. Any unvaccinated member of our community, including those who do not receive the appropriate booster dose for their initial vaccination series by March 1, will be required to comply with the heightened health and safety protocols put into place last semester, including weekly surveillance testing.

Exemption Policy: The University will continue to allow petitions for a vaccine or booster exemption on medical or religious grounds but has decided to phase out the Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) status, effective March 1. Employees who had previously been granted an EUA exemption must comply with the vaccination requirement and demonstrate either proof of vaccination or petition for an alternate exemption on medical or religious grounds.

Health and Safety Protocols

Masking: The University’s indoor masking requirement remains in place until further notice. Under this requirement, all members of the Monmouth University community and guests to our campus – regardless of vaccination status – are required to wear masks indoors, except when actively eating or drinking and when in their private office or residence hall room. Masks must be worn properly – with mouth and nose fully covered – at all other times indoors.

Social Distancing: The University will continue, when possible, to establish and enforce a social distancing requirement of three feet wherever any in-person instruction is taking place on campus (e.g., classroom, lab, teaching space, etc.). Individual faculty and staff members may also require visitors to their respective offices to adhere to the 3-foot social distance requirement.

Isolation/Quarantine: Members of the Monmouth University community who test positive or qualify as close contacts necessitating an isolation or quarantine period must follow the prevailing NJDOH guidelines on isolation and quarantine periods. More detailed information on these guidelines is forthcoming from Health Services and the Office of Human Resources.

I look forward to discussing these updates in greater detail on my open call with faculty and staff tomorrow (Friday, January 14) at 9 a.m. If you have questions regarding use of paid time off (sick/vacation/personal) or other employment benefits, please contact Robyn Salvo in the Office of Human Resources at 732-263-5228 or rsalvo@monmouth.edu. For questions related to testing and healthcare protocols, please contact health@monmouth.edu.

As has been the case since March 2020, this is a very fluid situation. We will continue to monitor public health guidance and watch for updates from the State which might affect our plans. Thank you for your ongoing cooperation, and for your continued efforts to preserve the good health of our community.

Sincerely,

Pat

Dear Students and Families:

Happy New Year! I hope that you are enjoying a restful break and your first days of 2022 are off to a healthy start. As promised in my email on December 22, I am writing with updated plans for the spring semester.

As students prepare to return to campus, COVID case counts are at their highest levels ever in Monmouth County, and the Omicron variant is spreading rapidly. Our high vaccination rates, coupled with our indoor masking and social distance requirements, have enabled our community to arrive safely at this point in the academic year. Our goal through these updated plans is to limit the spread of the virus early in the semester in order to preserve an in-person experience throughout the remainder of the academic year.

During the break, the senior leadership team and I have been following closely the rapidly changing COVID situation, including frequent conversations with the Monmouth County Regional Health Commission. In consultation with our faculty, staff, and student leadership groups, we feel confident that we have developed reasonable plans, as noted in further detail below, to ensure a safe start to the spring semester and to protect the overall health of our University community.

Instruction

Remote Learning Status: For an emergency period of Tuesday, January 18 through Monday, January 24, all classes will migrate to an online format. Public health officials have indicated that the omicron variant will likely peak sometime in mid-January, followed by a decline in positive cases and transmission rate. By shifting to emergency remote learning for this discrete period, we hope to mitigate the risk of exposure among our community. It is our intent to return to in-person instruction, but that may be subject to a variety of circumstances. If you do not want to participate in remote instruction, you should follow the University’s add-drop procedure.

Testing

On-Campus Resident Student Testing: Move-in will begin on Friday, January 14. Due to the particularly high risk of community spread in the residence halls, all on-campus resident students planning to move in between January 14 and January 16 must provide evidence upon arrival of a negative test taken within 72 hours of move-in, or proof of a positive test occurring between 90 and 10 days prior to move-in. The University will not accept the results of a self-administered test.

If you are unable to schedule a test at home, the University will offer on-campus testing in the Magill Commons Testing Center. The testing center will be open daily from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. On-campus resident students who plan on moving in between January 14 and 17 can utilize the testing center, provided they do so between January 10 and 12. On-campus resident students who are not able to obtain a test before January 12 – either from a community site or from the University – will only be allowed to move in on Monday, January 17, and will be required to pool test prior to checking in to their residence hall.

Any student with a positive test result in the days prior to move-in will be required to isolate at home. Similarly, any student testing positive through the January 17 pool testing must return home to isolate if they live within 150 miles of campus.

Please expect more detailed information from the Office of Residential Life, including available move-in times, in the very near future.

Ongoing Testing: Testing will continue as during the fall semester for any symptomatic and close contact individuals. Testing will also continue on a regular basis for any individuals who are not fully vaccinated, including members of our community who have been vaccinated for more than five months with Pfizer or Moderna, or for more than two months with J&J, and have not received by March 1, 2022 the appropriate booster dose for their vaccination series.

Vaccination

Boosters: Because of waning immunity considerations for individuals who were fully vaccinated more than five months ago with the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine, or more than two months ago with the J&J vaccine, the University is requiring every member of the Monmouth community (i.e., students, faculty, staff) to get the appropriate booster dose for their initial vaccination series.

To help make the vaccine and booster readily available to our community, we will be hosting our next on-campus clinic on Thursday, January 27, and the Monmouth County Health Department will be offering walk-in clinics throughout the county during the month of January.

All students must provide up-to-date information on their vaccination status through the Health Portal by March 1. Please report your vaccination information as soon as possible to avoid any problems that may be caused by waiting until the last minute.

Any unvaccinated member of our community, including those who do not receive the appropriate booster dose for their initial vaccination series, will be required to comply with the heightened health and safety protocols put into place last semester, including regular surveillance testing.

Health and Safety Protocols

Masking: The University’s indoor masking requirement remains in place until further notice. Under this requirement, all members of the Monmouth University community and guests to our campus – regardless of vaccination status – are required to wear masks indoors, except when actively eating or drinking and when in their private residence hall room. Masks must be worn properly – with mouth and nose fully covered – at all times indoors.

Social Distancing: The University will continue, when possible, to establish and enforce a social distancing requirement of three feet wherever any in-person instruction is taking place on campus (e.g., classroom, lab, teaching space, etc.). Individual faculty and staff members may also require visitors to their respective offices to adhere to the three-feet social distance requirement.

Isolation/Quarantine: Members of the Monmouth University community who test positive or qualify as close contacts necessitating a quarantine period must follow the prevailing CDC and NJDOH guidelines on isolation and quarantine periods. More information on these guidelines is forthcoming from the Division of Student Life.

Please be on the lookout for additional information on these plans from VP Mary Anne Nagy before the spring semester begins. In the meantime, if you have specific questions on our testing and booster requirements, or other health and safety protocols, please reach out to Spring2022@monmouth.edu. This remains a fluid situation, and we will continue to closely monitor the impact of COVID-19 on our campus community. We will be in touch with any adjustments to our current plans as the semester progresses.

Thanks to our individual and collective efforts this year, we have been able to keep our case count low and return to our fully in-person residential student experience. As we navigate record-breaking COVID levels and a difficult flu season predicted by medical experts, these protocols will help to ensure the continued protection of our community. Our commitment is to the health and safety of our community and the integrity of our students’ education. Thank you for your ongoing understanding and cooperation.

Sincerely,

Dr. Patrick F. Leahy

President

Dear Members of the Monmouth University Community:

As the fall semester and 2021 draw to a close, and we look with anticipation to the promise of a new year, I thank you for your commitment to our University. We have successfully reached this point thanks to your individual and collective efforts to keep Monmouth healthy and safe.

Please enjoy this short video celebrating the strength of our community. While Monmouth navigates through this challenging period, I know that we will continue pushing new frontiers and marking new milestones in the year ahead. I am grateful for your continued support of our exceptional University, and wish each of you a restful break, and good health and happiness in the new year.

Sincerely,

Dr. Patrick F. Leahy

President

Dear Members of the Monmouth University Community:

As we near the end of the fall semester and prepare for a well-deserved winter break, I write with reminders and updates on our campus health and safety protocols.

Vaccination

We continue to enforce a COVID-19 vaccine requirement with exemptions permitted for approved medical and religious reasons.

At this time, we also continue to allow a temporary exemption on the basis of current emergency use authorization status for the FDA-approved vaccines. We will carefully monitor any FDA actions on the final approval of vaccines and revisit this temporary exemption category as needed.

All unvaccinated individuals falling into one of the exemption categories must adhere to the heightened health and safety protocols currently in place.

Boosters

We encourage all eligible members of our community to get the COVID-19 vaccine booster to enhance the efficacy of the vaccine and to provide added protection against COVID-19. We will continue to try and offer clinics on campus to make the vaccine and booster as readily available as possible to our community.

Masking

Given the emergence of the Delta and Omicron variants, and the recent and rapid rise in COVID-19 cases across our country and region, the University’s masking requirement remains in place until further notice. Under this requirement, all members of the Monmouth University community and guests to our campus – regardless of vaccination status – are required to wear masks indoors, except when actively eating or drinking and when in their own private office or residence hall room. Masks must be worn properly – with mouth and nose fully covered – at all times indoors.

Social Distancing

The University will continue, when possible, to establish and enforce a social distancing requirement of three-feet wherever any in-person instruction is taking place on campus (e.g., classroom, lab, teaching space, etc.). Individual faculty and staff members may also require visitors to their respective offices to adhere to the 3-feet social distance requirement.

Please be on the lookout for updated guidance in mid-January before the spring semester begins. In the meantime, if you have specific questions on our vaccine requirement or other health and safety protocols, please reach out to Spring2022@monmouth.edu.

Thanks to our individual and collective efforts this fall, we have been able to keep our case count low and return to our fully in-person residential student experience. As we head into winter and a difficult flu season predicted by medical experts, our safety protocols will help to ensure the continued protection of our community. Thank you for your continued cooperation and resolve. I wish you good luck with finals, and continued good health as we approach a new year.

Sincerely,

Dr. Patrick F. Leahy

President