As you know, and as the current pandemic has reinforced, my first obligation as President of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute is keeping our students, faculty, and staff safe.

Effective Monday, October 4, the COVID-19 testing location will move from the East Campus Athletic Village (ECAV) to the Alumni Sports & Recreation Center (AS&RC), also known as the Armory.  

Many members of our community have been eager to hear additional details about our plans for the upcoming 2021-2022 academic year. We are planning on a full return to campus. 

As Rensselaer is welcoming back undergraduate and graduate students for the fall academic semester, I am writing to inform you that all faculty and staff are expected to return to their regular in-office work schedule no later than Monday, August 23, 2021.

As the FY 2021 academic year ends, I would like to take this opportunity to share a few highlights of where we are as a university. Leading Through COVID-19

Rensselaer is following a risk-informed, performance-based plan for campus health and safety. This plan will be evaluated regularly and updated as needed, particularly as planning for the fall semester continues. At this time, the following protocols apply for summer 2021:

Effective Wednesday, May 26, 2021, the COVID-19 Testing Site for faculty, staff, and students has been moved from the Alumni Sports and Recreation Center (AS&RC) to the East Campus Athletic Village (ECAV) practice gym. The hours are 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. beginning June 2, 2021.

As we approach the final weeks of instruction for the Spring semester, planning is in full swing for the summer and fall semesters.

As we anticipate a brighter future on the public health front, Rensselaer is making plans for a fully in-person Arch summer semester and 2021-2022 academic year.

Yesterday, April 12, 2021, New York State released expanded guidelines related to commencement exercises for higher education institutions.

On Tuesday, April 6, New Yorkers 16 years of age and older became eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. While expanding eligibility was an important step, it has also been my goal to bring the vaccine directly to our students.

New York State has authorized vaccinations for individuals age 30 or older.  

Just over a year ago, COVID-19 was classified as a global pandemic. The Rensselaer community, under Dr. Jackson’s leadership, has faced the pandemic with courage, determination, extra effort, and resourcefulness, while sharpening our focus on our mission.

Thank you for your compliance with the Institute’s health and safety protocols during the two-week suspension of in-person instruction and access to campus facilities.

Thank you for your compliance with the Institute’s health and safety protocols during the two-week suspension of in-person instruction and access to campus facilities. As a result of our collective diligence, testing results have begun to improve.

I am writing to inform you that we now have had more than 30 confirmed COVID-19 cases (faculty, staff, or students), within a rolling two-week period, among those with campus access.

The health and safety of Rensselaer community members, within and outside of the campus, remains our top priority.

The health and safety of students and community members is the top priority of the Institute.

It has now been more than a year since the first cases of COVID-19 emerged in the United States. The Rensselaer community has stepped up in numerous ways during this ongoing health crisis.

As we have examined the overall public health situation related to the COVID-19 pandemic, and guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and New York State, we are shifting the start of the spring semester to January 25, 2021.

The fall 2020 semester is ending, and the Troy and Hartford campuses will be closed for the Holiday/Winter Break beginning Thursday, December 24, 2020 and will reopen on Monday, January 4, 2021.

The fall 2020 semester is ending, and the Troy and Hartford campuses will be closed for the Holiday/Winter Break beginning Friday, December 25, 2020 and will reopen on Monday, January 4, 2021.

The Return to Campus-Based Operations Plan, finalized by the Startup Task Force in June 2020, was successfully implemented for the fall semester.

The National Weather Service has issued a Winter Storm Warning for the New York Capital Region and the Hartford metropolitan area for Thursday, December 17, 2020.

The last day of in-person academic instruction for the fall semester is Friday, November 20, 2020, and the campus is closed for the Thanksgiving holiday from Thursday, November 26 through Sunday, November 29, 2020, with the exception of faculty and staff who are designated as “Essential” by their

At the end of this week we will conclude the in-person instructional portion of our fall semester. I write today to provide a brief update on the end of the fall semester and planning for the spring semester. COVID-19 Testing 

COVID-19 is one of the greatest public health challenges we are currently facing as a global community.

Driven by our focus to protect the health and safety of the Rensselaer community, and to reduce the risk from COVID-19 disease, the last day of in-person academic instruction for the fall semester will be Friday, November 20, 2020.

Effective Thursday, October 29, the COVID-19 testing location has moved from the East Campus Athletic Village (ECAV) to the Alumni Sports & Recreation Center (AS&RC), also known as the Armory.

I am writing to provide you with a coronavirus testing update. As of today, we have tested over 4,200 members of the Rensselaer community for COVID-19. There have been two confirmed positive results. Both individuals who tested positive are students who live in off-campus housing.

Rensselaer has implemented its Plan to Return to Campus-Based Operations for the 2020-2021 academic year, in accordance with the provisions set forth by Governor Andrew Cuomo. All of us have worked hard to implement health and safety protocols to keep members of our community safe.

The Startup Task Force, chaired by Prabhat Hajela, Provost, and Curtis Powell, Vice President of Human Resources, has finalized the Return to Campus-Based Operations Plan, which we will implement, if and when we are permitted to do so by New

Many members of our community have been eager to hear about our plans for the upcoming 2020-2021 academic year. At this point, we do not know when New York state will allow the higher education sector to restart.

Dear members of the Rensselaer community,

Yesterday we were notified that one of our graduate students, living in our housing, tested positive for COVID-19. The student was asymptomatic, is doing well, and will remain in isolation until cleared by the student’s health care provider. 

As we come to the close of the academic year at Rensselaer, I want to thank all students and faculty for their perseverance, adaptability, and creativity in making this very challenging semester a success. From everything I have heard to date, the move to online classes went quite well.

Six weeks ago we made the decision to move instruction completely online, and instituted remote working, except for critical on-campus functions, in the face of the global COVID-19 pandemic.

Many organizations in the United States, and throughout the world, continue to struggle with financial challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and Rensselaer is no exception.

Even as we approach the final weeks of instruction for the spring semester, planning is in full swing for the summer semester.

Dear Members of the Rensselaer Community,

The health and safety of our students, faculty, staff, and visitors are our top priorities.

The COVID-19 pandemic, and the resulting economic downturn, may have an adverse impact on your employment prospects following graduation.

Dear Members of the Rensselaer Community,

TROY, N.Y. — Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute is enlisting AiMOS, one of the most powerful supercomputers in the world, in the battle against the COVID-19 pandemic.

In light of the transition to remote instruction necessitated by the COVID-19 pandemic, we are implementing a temporary change to our academic and grading policies for the Spring 2020 semester.

Given the coronavirus global pandemic, and our necessary responses to it, we are moving into a world of uncharted waters — one that none of us have experienced before. We are entering new territories that bring uncertainty, distress, and confusion.

Dear Students,

This past week, due to the growing public health crisis, the World Health Organization declared the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak a pandemic; the President of the United States declared a national emergency; and the Governor of the State of New York declared a state of emergency.  

We understand that over the course of the next several weeks, accepted students will be working together to make the best decision as to where they will continue their academic journey. We look forward to helping them make that very important decision.

In light of the global COVID-19 outbreak (info.rpi.edu/coronavirus) we wanted to follow up with further guidance to ensure research continuity, especially as it relates to graduate students and the research staff. 1. Immediate Situation    

From: Shirley Ann Jackson, Ph.D., President, Professor of Physics, Applied Physics, and Astronomy, Professor of Engineering Sciences; Prabhat Hajela, Provost; Leslie Lawrence, M.D., Executive Director for Health and Wellness; Curtis Powell, Vice President for Human Resources; Claude Rounds, Vice

The novel coronavirus COVID-19 outbreak has spread rapidly across the globe and presents a unique public health challenge that is compounded by the uncertainties associated with its spread and severity.

Dear Students, In an effort to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 virus to our community and in the important interest of public health, we are requiring all undergraduate students in Rensselaer Residential and Greek Commons to move out of these residences by 4:00 p.m. on Friday, March 20, 2020. To facilitate this transition, we will extend Spring Break through March 20, 2020. Spring semester classes will resume with remote instruction on March 23, 2020.

In an effort to protect the health and safety of our community from the novel coronavirus disease COVID-19, beginning Monday, March 16 through at least March 30, the university is suspending all in-person instruction, and is moving to online and other alternative learning options. 

Following the confirmation of two cases of coronavirus (COVID-19) in the Capital Region this weekend, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute enacted social distancing protocols to help prevent the spread of the virus within our community. Until further notice: 

Following the confirmation of two cases of coronavirus (COVID-19) in the Capital Region, we immediately enacted social distancing protocols to prevent the spread of the virus within our community. 

Rensselaer continues to closely monitor the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak.

Rensselaer continues to closely monitor the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak.

I am writing to provide you with an update on coronavirus (now called COVID-19) and influenza. 

I am writing to provide you with a coronavirus update. Since our last communication, there have been no confirmed cases of coronavirus on our campus or in New York state. The U.S.

I am writing to update you on further developments with the coronavirus (2019-nCoV) outbreak that originated in Wuhan, China, and to ask for your help in continuing to ensure the health and safety of our campus community.

I am writing to update you on developments with the coronavirus outbreak that originated in Wuhan, China, and to further ask for your help in ensuring the health and safety of our campus community.

We are writing to ask for your cooperation in ensuring the health and safety of the campus community in light of the 2019 Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV) outbreak in China.

I write to inform you about Rensselaer’s recommendations and plan regarding the recent novel coronavirus outbreak in Wuhan, China. Background: