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

Dear Colleagues:  

As we prepare for the Thanksgiving break, I wish to share my gratitude for all that you do to make Monmouth University such an extraordinary community. I am grateful for your many and unique contributions to the life of our university.

Despite the challenges of the past two years, our community has grown stronger and better – together. Every day, you help advance our mission of delivering a first-rate, personalized experience to all our students, and I am grateful for your enthusiastic efforts. What a privilege to serve our students and their families alongside such talented and dedicated colleagues as you!

I offer my heartfelt thanks for all that you do to enrich our community, and my profound gratitude to all of your loved ones who support you throughout the year. May your time together this year be joyful, restful, and safe, and may you return to us replenished and ready for a successful end to the semester.

Amy, the kids, and I wish you all the very best.  

Sincerely,  

Pat  

Patrick F. Leahy
President

Dear Members of the Monmouth University Community:  

At the 11th hour, on the 11th day, in the 11th month of the year, we Americans pause and recognize our men and women in uniform – past and present – who have defended our freedom and constitutional rights.  On this Veterans Day 2021, the Monmouth University community honors our service men and women for their selflessness, duty, and courage.

Today, especially, we thank all of the veterans who are part of Monmouth University, including the students, faculty, staff, and alumni whose public service continues to enrich the character of our community. In recent years our veterans have inspired new academic and outreach efforts including: our Military Bridge Program; a long collaboration with Frontline Paper; and the Coming Home Project, grounded in our School of Social Work. I am proud of these initiatives and so many more that support our military and veteran students in meaningful and important ways.

Please join me in thanking our men and women in the armed forces whose heroism protects our great nation. May their selfless acts inspire our own, and may the star-spangled banner wave proudly this Veterans Day – and every day in the future.  

Dr. Patrick F. Leahy
President

Dear Members of the Monmouth University Community:

Over the past several months, we have been working diligently to prepare campus for the long-awaited return of our students and employees. 

I am pleased to share a short video highlighting recent upgrades and improvements to our physical plant. These capital improvements are early milestones in the implementation of our new five-year strategic plan – Excellence. Access. Ambition – which charts a bold and exciting course for the University.

I am especially grateful to our team in Campus Planning and Facilities Management for their hard work preparing our buildings and grounds so expertly, and in time to welcome our students and colleagues for the new academic year.

My thanks to all of you for helping to preserve and enhance the beauty and safety of Monmouth’s outstanding campus. I hope you enjoy these enhancements, and look forward to seeing many more of you in the weeks ahead.

Sincerely,

Dr. Patrick F. Leahy

President

Dear Students:

As we embark on a new academic year – the 88th in Monmouth University’s proud history – I am so pleased to welcome you back to campus for what my faculty and staff colleagues hope will be one of our best years yet. We look forward to seeing all of you in person, and to making your Monmouth experience a positive and memorable one.

I wish to extend a special welcome to our new first-year and transfer students. And, I would also like to welcome in a special way our rising sophomores, many of whom are settling into campus life for the first time this fall. We are so pleased that you’ve chosen Monmouth as your new home, and look forward to tracking your successes in the classroom and beyond over the coming years.

The past 18 months have presented unprecedented challenges, to which the Monmouth community has routinely responded with determination, flexibility, resilience, and compassion. I am grateful to each of you, as well as to our faculty and staff, for continually prioritizing the needs and best interests of our University community.

Over the past several months, our team has been working diligently to plan for your arrival this fall in a safe and responsible manner. We are eager for you to see the changes and improvements to our campus, including many new and upgraded facilities to advance our academic mission and community-building ideals. Early next week, I will send a message highlighting these recent facilities updates.

While things are slowly beginning to resemble our pre-pandemic state of normalcy, we must continue to remain vigilant in following our health and safety protocols, informed by prevailing public health guidance. Please continue to mask up, back up, wash up, and adhere to testing requirements. As I’ve said before, it is going to take each of us to protect all of us. Thank you for your continued commitment to the health and welfare of the Monmouth community.

My best wishes to each of you for a safe and successful fall semester.

Sincerely,

Dr. Patrick F. Leahy

President

Dear Colleagues:

On August 4, the University reinstituted an indoor mask requirement in response to the increase in COVID-19 cases, including the Delta variant, throughout New Jersey and, in particular, Monmouth County. 

As promised, we have continued to monitor the public health situation to inform our campus safety practices and protocols. Given the sustained and growing impact of COVID-19 in our state, we will continue to require masks indoors in all campus facilities until further notice.

Specifically, all members of the Monmouth University community and guests to our campus – regardless of vaccination status – are required to wear masks indoors, except when eating or when alone in a private office or residence hall room. This requirement is in accordance with prevailing guidance from the Center for Disease Control, as well as the Monmouth County Regional Health Commission. As has been our practice, we will continue to monitor the public health situation and update our health and safety protocols accordingly.

The University continues to host vaccination clinics on campus for members of our community, including immediate family members. Our next clinic will be held in Anacon Hall on September 1 from noon to 4 p.m. If you have not yet been vaccinated, we urge you to do so as soon as possible. Additionally, we encourage you to continue thorough hand washing and sanitizing practices and to maintain a safe social distance whenever possible. As a reminder, you are welcome to contact the Office of Student Life at x3417 to request and coordinate pick-up of a reusable Monmouth mask.

Thank you for your continued cooperation as we work towards a safe and successful return to campus this fall.

Sincerely,

Pat

Dr. Patrick F. Leahy

President