Updates

Additional COVID-19 Guidance for Faculty Now that Classes are Underway

This memorandum provides you with some basic guidance in order to ensure that you are fully prepared for scenarios of positive COVID-19 cases in the classroom.

Greetings from the Office of the Provost: For Students

The fall semester is nearly here, and I can feel our community’s excitement and anticipation growing with each passing day.

Greetings from the Office of the Provost: For Academic Staff

The fall semester is nearly here, and I can feel our community’s excitement and anticipation growing with each passing day.

Greetings from the Office of the Provost: For Faculty

The fall semester is nearly here, and I can feel our community’s excitement and anticipation growing with each passing day.

Onward: GW’s Fall Operating Plan

GW’s Medical Advisory Group, our team of medical and health experts, continue to monitor and evaluate the latest data about COVID-19 transmission in our community, as well as local and national public health guidance. To provide the GW community with guidance on public health, physical spaces, events and activities, masks, testing, campus access and other public health matters, we have collected their guidance in Onward: GW’s Fall Operating Plan.

GW Reinstates Indoor Mask Mandate

Effective Saturday, July 31, until further notice, GW is reinstating its indoor mask requirement in university-owned or -operated facilities for all individuals regardless of vaccination status. This guidance is consistent with the District’s decision to again require that people wear masks in indoor public settings beginning July 31. D.C. takes this action based not only on guidance from the CDC but also as a precaution as COVID rates have increased locally.

Health Protocols for Classrooms, Labs, and Office Spaces, and Accommodations for Students

Please read for additional information about what we expect for the fall semester, what we may do should there be an uptick in positive cases, and what we expect in terms of student accommodations.

Updates on Fall 2021 Instruction for Graduate and Professional Students

Your school or college will send you more specific information about instructional policies.

Updates on Fall 2021 In-Person Instruction for Undergraduate Students

This fall, courses will be in person for undergraduates, and students will be expected to attend in person.

Updates on Fall 2021 In-Person Instruction for Faculty

Courses will be in person, unless there is a programmatic need for an entire course section to be online.

Leadership Updates within the Office of the Provost

As the summer begins and we work toward being back on campus this fall with our whole community, I am pleased to share some leadership updates within the Office of the Provost.

Important COVID-19 Vaccine Update

We will require students, faculty, and staff who are in person this fall to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 prior to being on campus.

Spring Break for Faculty and Staff

We are pleased to announce that this year we will provide a two-day spring break for employees, which will take place Thursday, March 18, and Friday, March 19.

Update on Planning for Fall 2021

We remain confident that we will be in person to the fullest extent possible this fall. While we are focused on ensuring a successful spring and summer, we continue to take productive steps to prepare for the fall, including by ramping up our testing and other public health protocols; reviewing and updating our buildings, ventilation systems, and classroom configurations; and readying our residence halls. 

2021 Commencement Celebrations

Since our last Commencement update in early February, the university has engaged members of our community, particularly our graduating students and their families, in order to collect feedback and ideas and consider a range of scenarios for in-person graduation elements. The university now has announced plans for our 2021 Commencement celebrations.