Dear Students,

When the COVID-19 pandemic struck, just about every aspect of our lives changed. Over the past year, I have seen the Marist community truly demonstrate what it means to be a Red Fox. We have shown resiliency and strength during a very difficult and uncertain time. I am continually impressed with how well Marist students, faculty, and staff have risen to the challenges presented by the pandemic.

As you know, in March 2020, Marist—like many other colleges—made the difficult but necessary decision to transition to virtual learning. We did this out of concern for the health and safety of our community. Every decision we’ve made since then has been guided by that same North Star. We completed a successful in-person fall semester and we are currently working toward the same goal for spring. There have been challenges along the way with COVID-19 cases, campus pauses, and more. This has not been easy; managing these circumstances has required the dedication of every member of the College community. But we do know things will improve; the increased availability of access to vaccines will eventually greatly help to improve health and safety on lead us back to a more traditional campus experience.

Spring is in the air, but Marist is working on planning for the 2021-22 academic year. Marist is committed to opening with in-person instruction and on-campus activities for the Fall 2021 semester. This is something our faculty and staff are keenly looking forward to because being a living and learning community is at the heart of the Marist experience.

Naturally, in this planning process, we will continue to follow guidelines put in place by the state of New York, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the expertise of our own medical professionals. Updates will be shared as they become available.

I appreciate our students’ commitment to the safety of the campus community. Thank you for all you have done to keep campus healthy during this challenging time.

Stay well and be safe.

Sincerely,
Dr. Dennis J. Murray
President, Marist College