Thank You and Best Wishes on Finals Week

Dear Students, Faculty and Staff,

I hope you had a restful and enjoyable Thanksgiving break! As we enter the last week of classes, I wanted to take this opportunity to thank you for your diligence, flexibility and hard work throughout the entire fall semester to get us to this point. And to our students: good luck on your final exams and projects.

In light of the ongoing elevated case levels here in Allegheny County and the recent news about the emergence of the Omicron variant, university leadership continues to closely monitor developments with the pandemic, including regular consultation with campus experts and our partners at Allegheny Health Network. We are reassured by our 98% vaccination rate and the tremendous job our campus community has done protecting each other throughout the pandemic.

With our additional mitigation protocols — facial coverings indoors, our ongoing asymptomatic Tartan Testing program and enhanced ventilation systems in classrooms —  we do expect to finish the fall semester as planned, allowing faculty flexibility for class and exam modalities. In the coming weeks, as we continue to assess the COVID situation generally and learn more about the impact of the Omicron variant, we will inform you of any changes to plans for the spring semester.

Again, thank you for your efforts that helped ensure a safe and successful in-person semester this fall. Best wishes during these final weeks of the semester and for your continued health and well-being this holiday season.

Sincerely,

Jim Garrett
Provost