[Summary: This message explains that education at Yale is expected to take place primarily in-person during the Fall 2021 term, public health conditions permitting. Faculty and students will be expected to engage in their teaching and learning activities on campus, in person, in New Haven. Faculty who cannot come to campus for medical reasons will be able to request accommodations in order to teach remotely.]
To: FAS faculty and instructors in Yale College and the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences
Cc: FAS Steering; FAS Dean’s Office; Yale College Dean’s Office; GSAS Dean’s Office; FAS Lead Administrators, Operations Managers, Chairs Assistants, Registrars; Provost’s Office; President’s Office
Dear colleagues,
As the end of the semester approaches, many of you may already be looking ahead and wondering what shape our classes will take during the Fall 2021 semester.
As President Salovey wrote on March 29, we are planning for education at Yale to take place primarily in-person during the Fall 2021 term, public health conditions permitting. Faculty and students will be expected to engage in their teaching and learning activities on campus, in person, in New Haven. School Deans and the Office of International Students and Scholars are working with international students and faculty to assist where possible on visa and travel requirements.
Our exact plans for in-person learning will depend on the public health situation, and you can expect that safety procedures will be in place once we return to campus. As President Salovey and Provost Strobel wrote on April 19, all Yale students who are enrolled in New Haven in the fall will be required to be vaccinated against COVID-19. Discussions are underway on whether there will be vaccination requirements for faculty and staff. In addition, the university will follow public health guidance on such matters as classroom density and arrival quarantines, and we will keep you informed of any impact this may have on your teaching, particularly in the first weeks of the semester.
In keeping with longstanding university policy on accommodations for faculty with disabilities (outlined in section XVIII. G. of the Faculty Handbook and on the website of the Office of Institutional Equity and Access), faculty who cannot come to campus for medical reasons will be able to request accommodations in order to teach remotely. We expect such accommodations will be reserved for those whose circumstances preclude them from making non-essential trips outside of their homes. In the coming months, we will provide information on the process for requesting an accommodation.
We are looking forward to returning to campus with you this fall. Our guiding priority will be the safety of our on-campus community, so that students and faculty can engage in the day-to-day work of teaching and learning together. We, like you, would love to be able to plan with certainty around questions like whether short-term visitors be permitted, but due to the unpredictability of the national and international situation, we are as yet unable to resolve these questions. We will be in regular communication as policies become clearer. We are grateful for your understanding.
As the semester draws to a close, we thank you for all that you have done to support our students and your colleagues during this unprecedented year.
Best wishes for the final weeks of the semester,
Tamar, Marvin, and Lynn
Tamar Szabó Gendler
Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences
Marvin M. Chun
Dean of Yale College
Lynn Cooley
Dean of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences