As we begin a New Year, I am deeply grateful for the incredible work of staff and faculty with our students across our Consortium member institutions to start the new semester safely.
Colleges and universities across our region have gone to extraordinary lengths to keep our campuses and communities healthy despite the variants. Vaccination rates at nearly every institution in our region are well over 90%, and nearly all are requiring booster shots. We have extensive testing surveillance programs, using an aggressive combination of rapid antigen and PCR tests, and continue to employ masking, distancing, and expansive efforts at improving air circulation, among a wide range of additional mitigation strategies. These efforts allow us to identify and respond to positive cases rapidly, successfully limiting spread in our community.
Additionally, we continue to give back to the metropolitan Washington region, supporting testing and vaccination clinics and providing a wide range of volunteers and expertise. Even through these trying times, other outreach efforts never stopped. Our members’ students, faculty and employees continue to support thousands of hours of volunteer efforts in our community and provide critical infrastructure for training our future workforce.
While our institutions have suffered tremendous financial losses, I am especially proud that they sustain their commitment to our students, to our community, and to increasing diversity, equity, and inclusion. The challenges are daunting, but I remain convinced that there is no better place in the world to live, work, and especially to attend college, than our region. We truly are the world’s best college town.
Andrew Flagel, PhD
President & CEO