09/01/2021
By Chancellor Jacquie Moloney
And while I know our faculty and staff have been hard at work advancing the university and preparing the campus, I’ve always felt the new semester to be a reset and launching point for our employees as well.
With Tuesday’s Convocation, thousands of new adventures began for our students and I was thrilled to be there with them, imagining their remarkable futures. I can’t say often enough how glad I am to welcome you back and to see the full restoration of our on-campus interactions.
From classes to student activities to intramural sports and River Hawk athletics to hands-on learning and the opportunities to meet new people and engage with new ideas, UMass Lowell is ready to help students achieve their goals.
Whether coming to campus for the first time – or the first time in a long time – I have no doubt the community that our students, faculty and staff collectively create will continue to accomplish great things.
The last 18 months have reminded us of just how important our ability to safely and freely interact with one another really is. Two years ago I could never have imagined the future that lay ahead of us. And while the pandemic remains with us today, so too do new tools that enable the vast majority of campus interactions to continue.
Even before vaccines were available to the public, close adherence to public health guidelines by the UMass Lowell community was successful in keeping our positivity rate low among the reduced populations of students and employees on campus last semester. I cannot thank you all enough for the critical role our faculty, staff and students played in keeping UMass Lowell strong and healthy, especially during these last 18 months.
As we return to full campus occupancy, let me share a reminder about the multiple measures we have in place to reduce the risk of COVID-19 infection.
More than any other individual measure, our near-universal vaccinations of all students and employees provide the most protection against the spread of disease. Out of more than 20,000 individuals on campus, a few hundred have approved medical or religious exemptions and will undergo weekly surveillance tests. Further, UMass Lowell’s ventilation systems have been tailored to the mechanical capabilities of each building and adjusted to maximize fresh air and the highest operable filtration.
Face coverings in indoor common spaces, our daily symptom checker, and a requirement to stay home or in your residence hall room if you are ill, all serve as additional risk reduction layers.
More details and information are available on the university’s COVID-19 webpage, including answers to frequently asked questions for supervisors and employees and specifically for faculty. The start of a new semester is a time of nerves and anxious feelings in normal times. While compassion and respect for others is always expected, please make a special effort this year to reach out and engage others who may be struggling.
While dealing with and mitigating the risks of COVID-19 will be a part of our new reality for the foreseeable future, UMass Lowell will also strengthen its focus on our priorities. We will not divert our attention from our hands-on learning and career development efforts, from our push for sustainable research and business practices or from our commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion for all.
This summer I shared with you that this academic year will be my last as chancellor. During the last decade we have worked together to transform this university and create a foundation to elevate UMass Lowell nationally as well as anchor us in place during the challenges of the last year.
As I begin my final journey as chancellor through UMass Lowell’s traditions, I could not be more grateful for all you have done, especially in the last year and a half to get us to this moment. I have never been more proud to serve with any group of people or more inspired by the students we are honored to support.