Our NYU: October 2021
A Note from President Hamilton
By now most of us are caught up in the swirl of the fall semester, and I am happy to see our campus once again filled with students: making their way to classes, studying in available nooks and crannies around the University, lining up to buy coffee, spending time with one another standing in front of the library, sitting on the low walls in front of the business school, and enjoying the views of the Manhattan skyline from Brooklyn Bridge Park.
What thrills me even more is to hear our students talking about how excited they are to be in in-person classes again with our faculty. Whether it is playing music together under the direction of a faculty member, or sustaining a classroom conversation that flowed less smoothly on Zoom, or simply grabbing those extra moments at the end of a class to ask a question of a professor and clear up a point, there’s a palpable enthusiasm among students about being together again with faculty, and vice versa.
Yet even as we have so many more meaningful in-person interactions, we are mindful of the lingering risks of COVID-19. I want to applaud the conscientiousness and forbearance with which our community has been observing NYU’s health protocols—mask wearing, staying home when sick, following guidelines on visitors and events, etc. The value of it can be seen in the falling weekly case counts and positivity data, which are now approximately one-third of the already low rates we saw in early September. But I mention this advisedly, not triumphantly; it is important for us all to stay the course.
As you continue to balance your studies, research, and work, and to meet new people or reunite with familiar colleagues and friends this fall, Jennie and I wish you the best as the semester carries on.
P.S. One of the best ways you can keep yourself well this season is to get a flu shot. The University is making the flu vaccine free to students and employees, so be sure to avail yourself of a shot before flu season is upon us (the vaccine is also available at urgent care clinics and through a healthcare provider).