University of Michigan-Dearborn announced an innovative approach to keeping its campus community safe this coming academic year. This fall students, faculty and staff will be required to provide either documentation of a weekly negative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test or that they are fully immunized with a vaccine that has received FDA Emergency Use Authorization.
The announcement, effective September 1, 2021, applies to all students, faculty and staff that will be coming to campus for any reason. The university, which has operated in a predominantly remote capacity since March 2020, plans a robust return to campus this fall, with most classes taught fully in person or in hybrid fashion and a return of on-campus student support services, co-curricular activities and campus services.
"Throughout the pandemic the university has fulfilled its mission of educating our students, while prioritizing the health and safety of our campus community,” said Domenico Grasso, chancellor, UM-Dearborn. “This announcement allows us to move forward with our plans of a return to on-campus activities, which we know are so important for student success, while continuing to keep our campus community safe and healthy.”
Students, faculty and staff who are fully remote will not need to meet this requirement.
The leadership of the university's Faculty Senate, Staff Senate and Student Government have all endorsed this plan.
Additional details regarding how this process will be implemented and how this information will be collected and maintained will be shared with the campus community in the coming weeks. There will also be guidance ahead regarding how this policy applies to campus partners, visitors and events.
About UM-Dearborn
University of Michigan-Dearborn was founded in 1959 through an innovative partnership between the University of Michigan and Ford Motor Company, with Ford providing an initial gift of just over 200 acres of land and $6.5 million. UM-Dearborn is a regional university, committed to excellence rooted in strong academics, innovative research and scholarship, as well as accessibility and affordability. The university has nearly 8,800 students pursuing more than 100 bachelor's, master’s, doctoral and professional degrees in liberal arts and sciences, engineering and computer science, business, education, health and human services. A top-ranked university with an inclusive campus community, faculty devoted to teaching and students committed to achievement, UM-Dearborn has been shaped by its history of partnering with industry and community leaders, and is committed to finding solutions for today’s most pressing challenges.
