Northwestern University Vice President for Operations Luke Figora told the NU/City Committee Tuesday night that he expects 90% to 95% of NU faculty, staff and students will be fully vaccinated in time for the return to classes this fall.
The school has established requirements for vaccination of all students and employees for the coming academic year, but the rules do have some exceptions for health conditions and religious reasons.
Figora says the school will also continue broad-based testing for COVID-19 during the new school year and will follow Illinois Department of Public Health guidelines on masking.
He says the school plans to provide an in-person full experience on campus for he vast majority of students, most of whom will return to campus a month from now, although some are currently on campus for summer courses.
Figora added that different academic units will be maintaining somewhat different schedules — with most in a hybrid format, with employees working a couple days on campus and a couple of days remote each week.
Dave Davis, the school’s executive director for community relations, added that freshmen and sophomore students will be required to live in dorms again this year, although enforcement of that rule will be predicated on the assumption that COVID “doesn’t go out of control.”