Enjoying the Holiday Break Safely and Preparing for the Spring Semester

Dear Morgan Community,

As we close out a successful semester on the high note of hosting our eighth annual Fall Commencement ceremony in-person and on campus, I would be remiss if I didn’t acknowledge the current landscape as it relates to the pandemic. Over the past several weeks following the Thanksgiving holiday break, there has been an alarming rise in the number of reported positive COVID-19 cases nationwide as well as COVID-19-related hospitalizations.

According to recent data from Johns Hopkins University, the United States is averaging 119,888 new Covid-19 cases each day, which is 50% higher than a month ago, coupled with an average of 1,261 deaths each day—a 5% increase over the previous month. It has been described as the worst surge we’ve seen, particularly in our hospitals, throughout the entirety of the pandemic. As a result of this sobering reality, colleges across the country are seeing increased positive cases and are having to cancel events, discontinue in-person instruction and send students home earlier than anticipated. And while our semester has come to an end, Morgan, too, has not gone unscathed, having experienced spikes in positive cases as revealed by our own university-administered testing.

With many of you returning to your homes and hometowns for the semester break, I implore you to continue taking precautions and being diligent about protecting yourself and your loved ones. The Omicron variant, which has an extraordinary capability of transmitting from one person to another, appears to be overtaking all other COVID-19 variants, including Delta. This means that it is much more communicable and poses a greater threat of spread, so please stay prudent over the holidays, and continue to take all necessary precautions. To better protect yourself, wear your mask in public places and/or at gatherings and encourage friends and loved ones to get tested before coming together. Also, if you haven’t done so already, please get the vaccine and if you are eligible, I strongly encourage you to get the booster. By engaging in these proactive measures, you can severely reduce the risk of getting COVID-19 or spreading it to someone that you care about. 

Over the break, we will continue to monitor what is happening around the country as well as here in Maryland in relation to the ongoing pandemic. When the University reopens in January, we will be reassessing the situation and communicating our plans for the spring semester before the start of classes and will provide our community with enough time to adjust to our plans. One of the things that can be anticipated will be a requirement for all students returning to campus and moving into University housing to produce a negative COVID test result within 24 hours of moving in. More details will be forthcoming about this and other potential requirements for the spring semester.

In the interim, please continue to be safe, to engage in healthy practices and above all else, enjoy your well-deserved time off.

Happy Holidays!

Respectfully,

President David K. Wilson