May 17, 2021
Dear Bentley Community,
In March, I announced Bentley’s plan for a full re-opening of our campus in the fall of 2021, including a return to fully in-classroom learning, at-capacity residence halls and in-person events. The recently improving public health trends and the corresponding easing of restrictions in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts continue to give us confidence in this plan, and faculty, staff and administrators will be spending the summer preparing for a more traditional place-based, university experience this fall.
The increasingly favorable public health trends across the country coincide with the widespread availability of vaccines, which were made available to all adults in the United States in mid-April. Nearly 150 million Americans have now received at least one dose of vaccine, and that number is growing every day. At Bentley, we were pleased to have been able to recently offer an on-campus clinic for students, faculty and staff to help make sure every member of this community has easy access to vaccines.
Comprehensive vaccination is an important part of ensuring a safe community and is the best way to guarantee our plans for a near-normal environment with full in-person learning, at-capacity residence halls, and in-person student engagement opportunities and interactive events. As we prepare for a fully open and operational 2021-2022 academic year, consistent with state and federal guidance, all undergraduate and graduate students who will be on campus this fall will be required to be vaccinated against COVID-19 before the start of the fall 2021 semester. At this time, we are still reviewing and considering final policy for employees, but we strongly advise all faculty and staff to be vaccinated against COVID-19 at their earliest opportunity. Further guidance, as well as return to campus expectations and instruction, will be shared with faculty and staff in the future.
All details and deadlines and information on how students should upload proof of vaccination can be accessed on the Back to Bentley Vaccination page. Only those vaccines authorized or approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration or listed by the World Health Organization will be accepted.
We recognize that some members of our community may not have easy access to vaccination sites and will be hosting additional on-campus clinics with details to follow in the coming weeks. As new information becomes available, we will make sure to update our Health Portal and the Back to Bentley Vaccination page.
It has been a challenging year, and I am proud of the way our community responded and supported one another along the way. Thank you for continuing to do your part to keep our community safe. I look forward to brighter days ahead.
Paul Condrin
Interim President and Chair of the Board