Welcome to the Spring 2022 Semester

Welcome back to St. John’s University! I hope that your Christmas break was restful and that you return to campus reinvigorated and ready for new beginnings and a fresh start in 2022. With the arrival of the Spring semester on January 19, we happily resume in-person classes – our preferred mode of academic instruction – here at St. John’s. We do so mindful that we are nearly into our third year of grappling with the realities of the global COVID-19 pandemic and the emerging challenges, such as the Omicron variant, presented by the virus.

Recently, I experienced firsthand the realities of COVID-19 when, in my zeal to support our Men’s Basketball team, I traveled to Providence; as luck would have it, I returned to Queens after a loss on the court and with a positive exposure to COVID-19. Fortunately for me, my symptoms were mild as I am vaccinated and received my booster shot late last year. After five days of isolation and no symptoms, I am able to return to human interaction while wearing a mask. I pray for all those that experience any strain of COVID-19 and for those that bear the lasting impact of this harmful health crisis.

The steps we have taken together at St. John’s since the earliest days of the global pandemic have positioned our campus community to maintain “normal” business operations and to readily respond to new public health challenges. Our extremely high rate of vaccination for students and employees, our recently implemented booster requirement, our mask mandate, and our ongoing testing protocols have allowed us to adapt and adjust to new public health concerns, changes in NYC and NYS guidelines, and other considerations.

I truly believe that this situation is going to be the new normal for some time, particularly in large, metropolitan, congregant-living settings. We anticipate an increase in cases when we re-open in person, but infection rates will not be the sole driver of our decisions going forward. I believe we are now moving from a pandemic phase to an endemic phase of the disease. We are going to have to learn to live with the reality of COVID, and I am confident that St. John’s will be prepared to do so. We will regularly evaluate and assess campus conditions while the University-wide need for awareness, flexibility, and patience continues. Please look for email updates or visit “Keeping St. John’s Healthy” on our website www.stjohns.edu for the latest information.

During these long, cold, and sometimes dark days of winter, we may be in need of a sign of hope. For me, I find hope in the direction that our University is taking both in the present and for the future. A tangible sign of that hope will become more visible to all on the Great Lawn as the construction of the new Health Sciences Center commences. I am very excited about what this new academic building and the expansion of our academic programs in the health sciences will do for our students and the future of St. John’s. The foundation of our University is strong, and we are taking strategic steps to position the University for even greater things in the years to come.

Thank you for your continued patience as we adapt to changing COVID-19 public health guidelines. We look forward to having you back on campus for the Spring semester. Please join me in maintaining our shared commitment to always take care of each other. I wish you good health and ask for God’s blessing on all as we begin our Spring semester.