Dear Faculty, Students, and Staff:
I’m so pleased to see our quads and classrooms alive with activity after a great start to a new academic year at the University of Rochester.
We’ve been able to have that great start – in part – because we adopted a COVID vaccine mandate for all students, faculty, and staff. With increased state guidance, full FDA approval of one vaccine – and another expected shortly – and similar vaccine requirements on more than 800 other campuses nationwide, we’re confident that our mandate is best for our community.
And with a new COVID variant surging globally, it’s even more important that we also wear facemasks inside all University facilities as we go about our work.
But even as we take precautions in this new academic year, we still have reasons to be vigilant, reasons to be grateful, reasons to be optimistic.
Vigilant – for the health of our community and for the values that guide us through the best and worst of times.
Grateful – to everyone who has worked through the last challenging year.
And optimistic – that we have come together again as a community that exemplifies the purpose and promise of our great research university and medical center.
This is the time of year when we welcome students from around the world eager to learn from – and contribute to – our community of scholars. Our faculty are eager to share their knowledge, and to conduct the cutting-edge research that is a hallmark of this institution. And our remarkable staff, who in many ways were most affected by the day-to-day challenges of the coronavirus pandemic, are continuing to provide the services and support that keeps our University and our healthcare enterprise moving forward.
Working together, we embody our Meliora motto to be Ever Better – even as we navigate the complexities of the changing pandemic landscape. By holding fast to our enduring values, in an environment of mutual respect and care, we will continue to build the inclusive academic community that makes this University a special place for learning, scholarship, and healing.
After a year-and-a-half of obstacles and uncertainty, I’m thrilled to see us all enthusiastically continue the great work of the University of Rochester.
Have a great semester!
Sarah C. Mangelsdorf
President and G. Robert Witmer, Jr. University Professor