09/10/2021
By Joseph Hartman

With a little over a week of classes under our belts, I wanted to join the Chancellor in welcoming you all back to campus and thank you for continuing to persevere in the face of challenging circumstances. As I told students at Convocation, you have no idea how good it is to see all of you again!

This past week has reminded me what makes UMass Lowell so special – the opportunities we make for our students and the community we create when we gather. I’ve heard from faculty about students’ desire to connect in classes. And I’ve seen firsthand how students want to connect outside of class. From Convocation and the Engagement Fair to attendance at sporting events, in-person meetings of student clubs and societies, or the opening of our Social Justice Center in University Crossing, it is clear that our community – faculty, staff and students – is delighted to be back together. We look forward to many more opportunities to connect this semester. Thank you for doing your part to make this all possible.

To celebrate re-engaging our community, the Chancellor and I would like to invite you to a faculty and staff picnic on the afternoon of Thursday, Oct. 7. More details will follow, but let’s hope for good weather!

I know there has been some angst and nervousness associated with starting this semester on campus, but I am confident that we have the protocols in place to operate safely while rekindling our on-campus community of scholarship and learning. With few exceptions, our campus community has taken our vaccine and face covering mandates seriously. Currently, 97.5% of our students with on-campus classes and 94.3% of faculty and staff are compliant with our vaccine mandate. With hard deadlines upcoming, we expect to bring both to 100% soon.

Thank you all for your efforts to keep our campus community safe, vibrant and engaging.