Message on Start of the Spring 2022 Semester

Dear Faculty, Staff, and Students,

I greet you in the New Year with important information regarding the start of the Spring 2022 semester. Approaching our two-year mark of navigating our mission of teaching and learning during COVID, we have learned that the only constant is change. The University has carefully monitored state and local public health guidance to address the current surge of Omicron cases in our region and its high rate of transmissibility, and as a result, NJCU will begin the spring semester with remote instruction for the first two weeks of the semester. Doing so will mitigate the impact of transmissibility on campus while moving forward to offer an excellent learning experience for our students, while providing effective and efficient University operations.

From January 18 through January 30, all instruction and instruction-related activities will be conducted through distance-learning platforms. The university will remain open with essential services. Full library services will be available remotely, with reduced in-person services determined by the Library Director. Academic Deans will assist with specific programmatic needs relative to their respective units.  

In addition, the Department of Online Learning continues to provide excellent resources for faculty and students. All courses for the Spring 2022 term have Blackboard shells. They are already available for faculty and students. For important information, instructions, and resources, I encourage you to visit the NJCU’s Knowledge Base (https://njcu.info/help/). If you have any questions, please contact helpdesk@njcu.edu. During evenings and weekends, you may call after-hours Blackboard Support at 1-844-807-0165. For more detailed information, please review the attached information page. 

At this time, we plan to return to in-person teaching on Monday, January 31, and will update you as necessary. However, I also recommend to all instructors to plan now for instructional continuity in their courses through asynchronous resources should the need arise. 

Finally, I once again want to thank our faculty for their flexibility and capacity to change modes of instruction to meet the needs of students during an ever-changing time in higher education.

Complete information on vaccine protocols and the start to Spring term can be found here.  The University will continue to strictly evaluate conditions on campus and the surrounding area and make informed decisions based on them. Our COVID health and safety protocols are subject to change based on developing data.

Best wishes,

Tamara Jhashi, Ph.D.
Provost and Senior Vice President