Recent Program Features

Dear Campus Community,

On Wednesday, August 11, Governor Tim Walz announced a new COVID-19 Proof of Vaccine and Testing policy, effective September 8, which states all state employees who are assigned to work at a workplace or otherwise provide agency services outside their home are required to either provide proof of full COVID-19 vaccination or be tested on a weekly basis. Chancellor Malhotra notified all Minnesota State employees about this requirement later that afternoon.

I met with members of my cabinet yesterday to determine how we would operationalize this requirement at Minnesota State University, Mankato. Thankfully, we have exceptional staff and resources, which allows us to quickly, comprehensively and confidentially receive, monitor and aggregate reports on employee vaccination and testing requirements.

As we roll out this new policy, please keep in mind that our focus is on serving students so they can safely continue their progress towards their educational goals. Further, this policy is one more step in our effort to provide a meaningful student experience in-person, online and in hybrid mode, with safety protocols in place.

I know you may have questions such as: I've been vaccinated, what do I do next? Are there exemptions? Can't I just work from home?" These and others have been compiled on the University COVID FAQs webpage. We will continue to add questions we receive and information on operationalizing the policy to the FAQs as it becomes available.

The latest information and COVID-19 related announcements can always be found on the COVID-19 and Our Campus Community webpage.  If you still have questions, please email provost@mnsu.edu.

Sincerely,

Edward S. Inch
President

Greetings, Maverick Community.

As we prepare to welcome students back to campus and to our classrooms next week, I wanted to reach out to share a few important messages with our dedicated faculty and staff.

First, thank you for the warm welcome this week. It was great to see so many of you at convocation on Monday; if you weren’t able to make it in person or to watch the live stream, I’d encourage you to watch the video.

I also want to follow up on the messages that have come out in the past couple of weeks regarding pandemic-related policy changes on campus. As you know, we are now requiring masks in all indoor public spaces. That requirement will remain in effect until further notice. We will be able to remove it when our county transmission levels return to low or moderate for 14 consecutive days. We monitor the CDC COVID Data Tracker daily and will share any changes with the campus community.

Last week we shared initial information about the Governor’s new Proof of Vaccination/Testing policy for state employees. Earlier today, we received notice from Chancellor Malhotra that a similar policy will begin on October 4^th for students who live in campus residence halls or participate in select campus programs and activities. Many questions about how these policies will be implemented remain unanswered, but I want to assure you that we are working here and with our colleagues at the system office to figure out the details. To frame the need for COVID-19 weekly employee testing on campus, we will be conducting an anonymous survey next week. More will be known in the next few weeks, and I will share that with you as soon as possible.

I know that many other questions have come up recently, including whether or not we will be implementing social distance guidelines again, if faculty can remove their masks to give lectures and what the quarantine requirements are this year. We’ve added answers to these and other questions on the Frequently Asked Questions page of the Coronavirus and the Campus Community website. We’ll continue to update that content, so please check back if you have a question.

I continue to encourage everyone to get their vaccination, and remember Minnesota residents can receive $100 if they receive their first shot before Aug. 22 through the Governor’s incentive program.

It’s been great to see the students moving back into our residence halls and off-campus housing this week. I’m looking forward to seeing them—and all of you—out and about on campus this fall.

Here’s to a great start of the semester!

Edward S. Inch, Ph.D.

President

Greetings, Mavericks!

Today brings a close to our first full week of in-person classes and campus events for the majority of our University community since March 2020. The energy and excitement was palpable. I enjoyed meeting many of you throughout the week as I explored campus and stopped by the various events occurring in the Centennial Student Union and outside on the Mall.

Last week I communicated a number of actions that have been put in place so we can remain in community this semester: requiring masks in all indoor spaces, proof of vaccination or testing requirement for employees, student workers, and graduate assistants, as well as for students who live in campus residence halls or participate in select campus programs and activities. These efforts remain in effect.

The Minnesota State system is in the final stages of building out a system-wide technology solution that will assist campuses in tracking both COVID-19 vaccination attestations as well as weekly testing for employees. This solution will be used across all campuses and at the System Office. More instructions on how to utilize the technology tool and the testing protocols will be shared prior to the Sept. 8 effective date. In the meantime, please review the attached Vaccine Policy FAQ which provides clarification on the policy implementation.

As an aside, a very special “shout out” to Vice President Mark Johnson and the entire IT Solutions team here at Minnesota State Mankato for leading the system effort on the development of this tool. Your expertise and partnership were specifically noted by the Vice Chancellor of Information Technology. Well done!

I know that during times of change and uncertainty, many questions are raised and assumptions made. For example, this week I heard there is some chatter that we are preparing to pivot to all online in October. Let me be clear, we have every intention of continuing our in-person experiences in and outside the classroom for the foreseeable future.

We do our best to share information as soon as possible in this very dynamic and ever-changing environment. Know that you will hear from me directly if there are any broad changes to our University operations. We also always post the most recent information on the Frequently Asked Questions page of the Coronavirus and the Campus Community website. And, you can email provost@mnsu.edu if questions remain.

I want to thank you for one of the best weeks of my professional career. It has been a pure delight being here with you this week.

Enjoy your upcoming weekend. And, Go Mavs!

Edward S. Inch, Ph.D.
President

Greetings, Mavericks!

Today brings a close to our first full week of in-person classes and campus events for the majority of our University community since March 2020. The energy and excitement was palpable. I enjoyed meeting many of you throughout the week as I explored campus and stopped by the various events occurring in the Centennial Student Union and outside on the Mall.

Last week I communicated a number of actions that have been put in place so we can remain in community this semester: requiring masks in all indoor spaces, proof of vaccination or testing requirement for employees, student workers, and graduate assistants, as well as for students who live in campus residence halls or participate in select campus programs and activities. These efforts remain in effect.

Additional details about the implementation of the student requirement will be provided as we approach the Oct. 4 implementation date. In the meantime, if you have received a COVID-19 vaccine and want to update your medical record with the University, you may do so through the Student Health Services patient portal. If you have questions, please call 507-389-6276. 

I know that during times of change and uncertainty, many questions are raised and assumptions made. For example, this week I heard some chatter that we are preparing to pivot to all online in October. Let me be clear, we have every intention of continuing our in-person experiences in and outside the classroom for the foreseeable future.

We do our best to share information as soon as possible in this very dynamic and ever-changing environment. Know that you will hear from me directly if there are any broad changes to our University operations. We also always post the most recent information on the Frequently Asked Questions page of the Coronavirus and the Campus Community website. And, you can email provost@mnsu.edu if questions remain.

I want to thank you for one of the best weeks of my professional career. It has been a pure delight being here with you this week.

Enjoy your upcoming weekend. And, Go Mavs!

Edward S. Inch, Ph.D.
President