Welcome to the Spring Semester

January 19, 2021

Dear Members of the Rutgers–New Brunswick Community:

It is my honor to welcome you to the Spring 2021 semester.

There have been few times in our history that have demanded as much resilience as the past year. The coronavirus pandemic, our turbulent political climate, anti-Black racism, and other events of 2020 have taken a toll on lives, families, and communities. While sources of stress for us all, many among us have been impacted in deeply personal ways. As your Chancellor and fellow Scarlet Knight, I continue to find pride in how our community has reimagined the ways we engage, learn, innovate, and support each other despite ongoing adversities.

Just as the COVID pandemic has pushed us to reinvent the way we live our lives, so too must we continue to evolve in how we define our university. It is not lost on me that the beginning of this semester coincides with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. Dr. King often spoke of his goal of creating a beloved community, a goal shared by President Holloway for Rutgers. I am confident that we can all work together to achieve this aspiration.

As we move forward on this journey, the Rutgers Knight’s Call will serve as our guidepost. These values—Authentic, Inclusive, Responsible, Resilient, and Engaged—speak to who we are and will help us progress toward becoming a beloved community.

Listed below are just some of the ways that will help translate our values into actions:

• To meet the ongoing climate of racial reckoning, we will work diligently to be more inclusive, and make meaningful progress as we engage in a campus-wide diversity strategic planning process this semester.
• To support a responsible return to Rutgers, and keep our surrounding communities safe, we have increased COVID testing sites throughout the campus. Regular testing will be available for students living on-campus or registered for in-person coursework, staff scheduled to work on-campus, and faculty engaged in on-campus teaching and research.
• As part of our ongoing land-grant mission to serve the people and the state of New Jersey, the university remains engaged with the New Jersey Department of Health to make COVID vaccinations more accessible. While New Brunswick does not currently have our own inoculation program, it is our hope to provide this service in the near future. More information will be forthcoming as plans are finalized.

While the path before us remains unsettled, I remain confident and optimistic that we will rise to the occasion, learn lessons from our obstacles, and have a successful spring semester. I look forward to better times ahead and to celebrating our victories together.

Let’s go RU!

Christopher J. Molloy, Ph.D. (PHARM '77, GSNB '87)
Chancellor, Rutgers University–New Brunswick